Grade 11 English University Prep The Victorian Novel.

Grade 11 EnglishGrade 11 EnglishUniversity PrepUniversity Prep

The Victorian NovelThe Victorian Novel

Victorian NovelsVictorian NovelsVictorian novelsVictorian novels (written in English in the 1800s when Queen (written in English in the 1800s when Queen

Victoria ruled) are:Victoria ruled) are:Very Very longlong

Mostly made up of Mostly made up of conversationsconversations and/or and/or lettersletters, rather than events , rather than events occurringoccurring

Filled with people of Filled with people of three classesthree classes (nobility, middle class and (nobility, middle class and lower/poor class) who aren’t to lower/poor class) who aren’t to mix, socializemix, socialize or or datedate

DarkDark and and broodingbrooding, full of , full of diseasedisease, , povertypoverty and and deathdeath

As As eloquently, formallyeloquently, formally and and fancily writtenfancily written as possible as possible

Usually spiced up by Usually spiced up by a hidden secreta hidden secret, usually involving , usually involving long-lost twins, long-lost twins, amnesia, insanity, out of wedlock pregnancy, crime, secret marriages, amnesia, insanity, out of wedlock pregnancy, crime, secret marriages, bastard children, lost fortunes, monsters, ghosts, pirates, exiles bastard children, lost fortunes, monsters, ghosts, pirates, exiles returned from prison or Australia and nasty workhouses, orphanages returned from prison or Australia and nasty workhouses, orphanages or factories.or factories.

Actually by Charlotte Bronte’s sister Emily

Actually by Charles Dickens

Actually by Charles Dickens

Victorian NovelsVictorian Novels

Mary Shelley’s Mary Shelley’s FrankensteinFrankenstein

A series of letters and conversations A series of letters and conversations reveal, all in flashback, that a man reveal, all in flashback, that a man secretly made a secretly made a monstermonster, and it’s been , and it’s been murderingmurdering people and brooding over its people and brooding over its fate, destiny and possible happiness. fate, destiny and possible happiness. Things don’t go well, and the monster Things don’t go well, and the monster kills itself in a kills itself in a firefire..


Bram Stoker’s Bram Stoker’s DraculaDracula

A series of letters and conversations A series of letters and conversations reveal, mostly in flashback, that a man reveal, mostly in flashback, that a man is secretly is secretly a monstera monster, and has been , and has been murderingmurdering people and must be killed. people and must be killed. With all the people dying of With all the people dying of consumption, who’s going to notice two consumption, who’s going to notice two little holes in someone’s neck?little holes in someone’s neck?


Robert Louis Stevenson’s Robert Louis Stevenson’s The Strange The Strange Case of Doctor Jekyll and Mr. HydeCase of Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

A series of letters and conversations A series of letters and conversations reveal, mostly in flashback, that a man reveal, mostly in flashback, that a man has secretly accidentally turned himself has secretly accidentally turned himself into into a monstera monster, which has been , which has been murderingmurdering people and must be killed. people and must be killed.


Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Sherlock Holmes Holmes novels and short storiesnovels and short stories

With a great deal of focus upon With a great deal of focus upon conversations and letters, a detective conversations and letters, a detective uncovers the facts about uncovers the facts about secret secret marriages, pregnancies, thefts, marriages, pregnancies, thefts, orphans, identical twins, brothers orphans, identical twins, brothers returned from Australia, lunatics, returned from Australia, lunatics, amnesiacs, firesamnesiacs, fires and etc. and etc.


H.G. Wells’ H.G. Wells’ The Time Machine The Time Machine In this work of Victorian In this work of Victorian speculative speculative

fictionfiction, the story is told (in conversation, , the story is told (in conversation, in flashback, by two narrators) of a man in flashback, by two narrators) of a man who makes a time machine and travels who makes a time machine and travels through time. In the future, society has through time. In the future, society has divided into a frail, helpless upper caste, divided into a frail, helpless upper caste, and a bunch of lower caste and a bunch of lower caste monsters monsters who devolved from the proletariat, who devolved from the proletariat, working class people.working class people.


Charles Dickens’ Charles Dickens’ Oliver TwistOliver Twist

A poor A poor orphanorphan escapes a escapes a workhouseworkhouse only only to fall into the clutches of a to fall into the clutches of a criminalcriminal who who keeps a gang of child pickpockets, but keeps a gang of child pickpockets, but Oliver won’t turn to crime. Oliver won’t turn to crime. ExecutionsExecutions, , secretssecrets and and murdersmurders abound. abound.


Charles Dickens’ Charles Dickens’ David CopperfieldDavid Copperfield

A half-A half-orphanedorphaned boy is abused by his boy is abused by his horrible step-father, gets sent to a horrible step-father, gets sent to a boarding school, boarding school, must work in amust work in a nasty nasty factoryfactory and tries to live his life. and tries to live his life. Executions, secrets, crimeExecutions, secrets, crime and and murdersmurders abound. People go to abound. People go to AustraliaAustralia..


Charles Dickens’ Charles Dickens’ Great ExpectationsGreat Expectations

An An orphanorphan meets a meets a criminalcriminal who later is sent to who later is sent to AustraliaAustralia and helps him escape his manacles. and helps him escape his manacles. The orphan lives with his The orphan lives with his abusive sisterabusive sister until until she is beaten and becomes a she is beaten and becomes a brain-damaged brain-damaged invalidinvalid, and he loves a girl who lives with a , and he loves a girl who lives with a crazy, cruel, abusive old shut-in ladycrazy, cruel, abusive old shut-in lady. There . There is is darkness, cruelty, people sent to jaildarkness, cruelty, people sent to jail and and AustraliaAustralia, and old ladies being lit on , and old ladies being lit on firefire..

Victorian StoryVictorian Story

Charles Dickens’ Charles Dickens’ A Christmas CarolA Christmas Carol

A cruel, stingy man (Ebenezer Scrooge) A cruel, stingy man (Ebenezer Scrooge) who does not help poor people and who does not help poor people and crippled childrencrippled children is visited by is visited by ghostsghosts who convince him he’s a bit of a who convince him he’s a bit of a monstermonster and frighten him into becoming and frighten him into becoming more Christmassy.more Christmassy.

““Women’s Books”Women’s Books”

In a stereotypical chick flick or “woman’s book,” (e.g. In a stereotypical chick flick or “woman’s book,” (e.g. Bridget Jones’ DiaryBridget Jones’ Diary) the heroine must choose ) the heroine must choose between between two mentwo men. The . The excitingexciting one is usually a one is usually a jerkjerk. The . The nicenice one is one is boringboring. . How to choose?How to choose?

The traditional solution is to “tame” or “reform” the The traditional solution is to “tame” or “reform” the exciting jerk. exciting jerk. Note: this works less well in real life. Note: this works less well in real life. Read Cosmo. Read Cosmo.

Victorian NovelsVictorian NovelsEmily Bronte’s Emily Bronte’s Wuthering HeightsWuthering HeightsOn the blasted, windy, rainy moors, a On the blasted, windy, rainy moors, a poor gypsypoor gypsy man who is an man who is an

exciting jerk exciting jerk and a woman who is and a woman who is out of his social reachout of his social reach are are passionately in love. There is also a passionately in love. There is also a nice, kind, boring mannice, kind, boring man who who loves her who she is supposed to marry. The gypsy loves her who she is supposed to marry. The gypsy jerk(Heathcliffe) is shattered by this and storms out and carries on. jerk(Heathcliffe) is shattered by this and storms out and carries on. She married the boring guy. Eventually she gets sick and dies, and She married the boring guy. Eventually she gets sick and dies, and the exciting boor ends up wailing and crying and trying to dig up the the exciting boor ends up wailing and crying and trying to dig up the corpse of his deceased love. Then he becomes a cruel idiot and corpse of his deceased love. Then he becomes a cruel idiot and angrily and cruelly raises his sickly, bastard son who he hates, and angrily and cruelly raises his sickly, bastard son who he hates, and torments the daughter of his dead love. Eventually, when the torments the daughter of his dead love. Eventually, when the daughter is in love with someone he doesn’t approve of, he goes daughter is in love with someone he doesn’t approve of, he goes insaneinsane, sees the , sees the ghostghost of his dead love, and of his dead love, and diesdies. The end.. The end.


Charlotte Bronte’s Charlotte Bronte’s Jane EyreJane EyreAn An orphanorphan girl who won’t do what she’s told or girl who won’t do what she’s told or

defer to “her betters” survives the most defer to “her betters” survives the most horrible foster parenting (a horrible foster parenting (a horribly cruel old horribly cruel old invalid ladyinvalid lady) and ) and boarding schoolboarding school, manages , manages not to die of not to die of consumptionconsumption, has two men to , has two men to choose from (one choose from (one boring, religious and niceboring, religious and nice, , and the other an and the other an angry jerkangry jerk). There are ). There are secrets, lost fortunes, foster children, angst, secrets, lost fortunes, foster children, angst, povertypoverty and and firesfires..

Grade 11 English University Prep The Victorian Novel.

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