|
Titel
12
|
Theme 11: The Victorian Age (værk) EXAM
This theme explores the Victorian period—an era marked by rapid industrial progress, strict social hierarchies, and deep moral and cultural tensions. Students examine how Victorian values, norms, and double standards are reflected in and challenged by literature and art of the time. Central to the theme is Oscar Wilde’s novel The Picture of Dorian Gray (1890), which serves as a literary lens through which to analyze moral hypocrisy, aesthetic ideals, and the conflict between outward respectability and inner corruption.
The course begins with an introduction to the historical, social, and literary background of the Victorian Age, focusing on the tension between public morality and private desire. Students explore Victorian ideals of respectability, gender, and class alongside the underlying anxieties about industrialization, urban poverty, and social change. Through selected non-fiction and visual materials, they also encounter Charles Dickens as “the social conscience of his age”, highlighting his role in exposing the darker sides of Victorian society.
As the reading of The Picture of Dorian Gray progresses, attention is given to Oscar Wilde’s wit, irony, and aesthetic philosophy. The course culminates in an examination of The Aesthetic Movement and the motto “art for art’s sake,” considering how Wilde’s work both celebrates beauty and critiques the moral rigidity of his time. Comparisons are drawn between Wilde and other Victorian artists and writers, such as Thomas Hardy and William Powell Frith, to understand how art reflected and questioned social norms.
Materials
- Video: “The Victorians – Home Sweet Home” (Dailymotion)
[https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2qireg] – Documentary introducing Victorian domestic ideals and social structures.
- Textbook extract: “Historical and Literary Background: The Victorian Age”
from Through Literary Landscapes by Niels Randbø Back & Pia Rørkær Sigh (Systime), pp. 87–109 – - Overview of key historical and cultural aspects.
- Novel: The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde – Main literary work.
- Extracts: Tess of the d’Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy, chapters 34–35 – Exploring social morality and gender expectations.
- Paintings by William Powell Frith: Many Happy Returns of the Day, Past and Present, No. 1–3 - Visual representations of Victorian ideals and moral downfall.
- Essay: “A London Workhouse in 1850” by Charles Dickens – A critique of poverty and institutional neglect in industrial England.
Analytical Focus
Students will:
- Apply textual analytical methods to interpret and discuss literary texts.
- Identify and analyze themes of morality, beauty, and hypocrisy in The Picture of Dorian Gray.
- Examine how social and moral values of the Victorian period are reflected in fiction, non-fiction, and art.
- Compare literary and visual representations of social injustice, gender roles, and class differences.
- Discuss The Aesthetic Movement and the idea of “art for art’s sake” in relation to Wilde’s writing.
- Reflect on how historical and cultural contexts shape literary expression and interpretation.
Faglige mål
- Use text-analytical concepts and methods to interpret both fictional and non-fictional texts.
- Demonstrate understanding of literary genres and conventions across historical periods.
- Discuss and reflect on historical, cultural, and societal conditions in Britain.
- Express coherent and well-supported analyses both orally and in writing.
- Show awareness of the relationship between text, author, and context.
- Use accurate and nuanced English in discussion, analysis, and presentation.
Kernestof
- Fictional prose (novel and extracts from 19th-century literature)
- Non-fictional texts (essay and textbook background material)
- Visual art and media as cultural expression
- Textual analysis and interpretation methods
- Historical and cultural conditions in Britain during the Victorian Age
- Societal and moral values, including class, gender, and industrialization
- Literary movements, particularly The Aesthetic Movement
|