Victorians1837 - 1901

As you are waiting for the lesson to begin…

The above is a famous painting from the Victorian era.•What do you think makes it so popular?•What do you know already about the Victorian era that links with this image?

Lesson Objectives

• To analyse a Victorian poem, considering the presentation of love.• To understand how the poem links to the Victorian era.• To consider how the Victorian era is similar / different to previous eras studied.

“The term Victorian has connotations of repression and social conformity…”

Background

Read through the handout you have been given, highlighting the main areas of the Victorian era.

What similarities / differences can you see between this and previous eras we have studied?

Presentation of love…

Elizabeth Barrett Browning was one of the most renowned poets of the Victorian era. Sonnets from the Portuguese is a collection of love sonnets written in the lead up to her marriage to Robert Browning. The title for the collection comes

from Browning’s pet name for her: ‘My little Portuguese’.

Read through the sonnet in front of you, considering the following:

• How is love presented?

• In what way does the sonnet link to the context?

Consider the form of the Petrarchan sonnet. How does Barrett Browning use the structure to convey meaning?

The earliest form of sonnet is the Italian or Petrarchan. An Italian sonnet is comprised of fourteen lines, arranged in two parts: the octave (eight lines) and,

the sestet (six lines). The octave describes the main theme of the poem or presents a problem, while the sestet develops the theme or provides a solution.

Analysis

In order to meet the assessment objectives, you need to be able to show an understanding of the text you are writing about with detailed and insightful analysis of language, structure and form. You must also be able to explore

connections and comparisons between texts, making links to the significance of the context in which it was written. Answer the following questions in detail,

providing evidence to support your ideas:

How does Barrett Browning use the sonnet form to convey her feelings of love?

What do you notice about the punctuation choices she makes? How do they aid meaning?

In what way does this poem link to the Victorian era?

Homework

Reading

In two weeks we will be studying a short story called ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’ by

Charlotte Perkins Gilman.

You will need to have read the whole story and annotated the

text considering the portrayal of love.

A copy will be available for you to download on the VLE and it is readily

available on the internet

Have we met our objectives?

• To analyse a Victorian poem, considering the presentation of love.• To understand how the poem links to the Victorian era.• To consider how the Victorian era is similar / different to previous eras studied.