Background Of Great Expectations

Background Of Great Expectations - Transcript

Background of Great Expectations
1. Industrial Revolution – England
was industrializing rapidly, and the
Industrial Revolution was eliminating
the need for some trades and
plunging many workers into poverty.
2. Social Issues – 
Throughout his life Dickens showed great concern for social issues.  He devoted time and money to the abolition of public hangings and better education for the poor.  
His fiction proved to be his most effective means of influencing public opinion.
In Great Expectations he exposes the harshness of penal laws, the inadequacy of education for the poor, and the snobbery and insensitivity toward the lower classes.
He severely criticized those who took advantage of the poor, particularly poor children.
The pen is  mightier  than 
the sword.
Dickens’ Own Life:
His father was sent to debtors’ prison, so
Charles worked in a blacking factory at
age 12 and had to live on his own. This
had a lasting impact on him – introducing
him to the harsh world of the underclass
and how it feels to be an abandoned
child. He worked 12 hours a day, 6 days
a week, and was permitted to visit his
family only on Sundays.
Victorian England: Queen Victoria
was the British monarch who ruled Great
Britain from 1837-1901. This period is
often characterized by its moral
seriousness, discipline, prudence, and
self-improvement. The economy
flourished between 1843 and 1873 due to
technological advances. This prosperity,
however, created social inequality. Living
conditions were deplorable for middle-
class Britons.