19th Century English Nina Hennig, Ann-Kristin Arend, Thomas Hornschuh Table of Contents • Historical Overview: 19th Century Britain • Charles Dickens – “Samuel Weller Makes a Pilgrimage to Dorking and Beholds his Mother-in-law” • Sarah Waters: Fingersmith (2002) Historical Overview: 19th Century Britain Class: A Social and Cultural History of English Presenter: Thomas Hornschuh Table of Contents • George III & the Napoleonic Wars • Industrialisation and workers’ discontent • George IV • William IV •Victoria I George III & the Napoleonic Wars George III & the Napoleonic Wars • George III 1760-1820 (1811) • Irish revolt in 1797/98 led to: – Union with Ireland 1801 • Napoleonic Wars 1799-1815 – Treaty of Amiens 1802 – Napoleon’s final defeat at Waterloo in 1815 – Great Britain emerged as the almost unrivaled colonial power (Pax Britannica) British Empire in 1815 httpupload.wikimedia.orgwikipediacommonsaa2BritishEmpire1815.png Industrialisation and workers’ discontent • Beginning usually associated with Watt’s invention of the improved steam engine in 1765 • Improved agricultural system and inventions in the medical sector led to a significant increase in population – 8 million in 1750 – 14 million in 1820 – 17 million in 1851 – 30 million in 1901 • Unskilled workers were required in great numbers, instead of specialised craftsmen • Shift of population from rural to urban areas • Abundance of labour • Therefore poor work conditions: – Up to 16 hours a day – Child labour – Low pay despite the increasing cost of living • First minor uprisings of workers in 1819 were met with brutal force • Several laws were passed that prohibited meetings • Increased taxes on pamphlets and newspapers George IV 1820 (1811)- 1830 George IV 1820 (1811)-1830 • Son of George III • Reigned as Prince Regent since 1811, due to his father’s mental illness • Patron of the arts • Luxurious lifestyle • In 1824 Parliament permitted the formation of Trade Unions with limited power William IV 1830-37 William IV 1830-37 • Younger brother of George III • His reign saw several important reforms: – Reform Act 1832 – Factories Act 1833 – Slavery Abolition Act 1833 – Poor Law Amendment Act 1834 Victoria I 1837- 1901 Victoria I 1837-1901 • Further restrictions on child labour • Improved education • Emergence of a new middle class • Era of wealth • But: slum formation in London and other larger towns; poverty still a problem • Radical technological advancement – Steamships – Railways – Telegraph lines – Electric light • Apex of colonial expansion – Occupation of Egypt (1882) and – Large parts of Africa – Dominion status granted to Canada (1867) and – Australia (1901) “Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of all Nations” in 1851 httpupload.wikimedia.orgwikipediacommonseebCrystal_Palace_interior.jpg The British Empire in 1897 httpupload.wikimedia.orgwikipediacommons228British_Empire_1897.jpg Charles Dickens "Samuel Weller Makes a Pilgrimage to Dorking and Beholds his Mother-in-law" Background - The Pickwick Papers (1836) - Artist Robert Seymour and publishers Chapman and Hall planned a series of engravings - Needed an author for the accompanying text - Charles Dickens took on the leading role as a writer - Very successful Content of The Pickwick Papers • Protagonist is Samuel Pickwick • Founder of the Pickwick Club • Travels around England with his friends • Adventures are the content of the texts Characters of the text • Samuel Weller – Mr. Pickwick’s servant •Tony Weller – Sam’s father – Coachman – Owns the Marquis of Granby (a pub) with his wife • Susan – Sam’s stepmother • Mr. Stiggins – minister / preacher Content of the text • Samuel Weller visits his parents at their pub • Step-mother and Mr. Stiggins are sitting together → have collected money • Tony Weller enters → tells him about his dislike for Mr. Stiggins • When Sam leaves the next day he tells his father what he would do with Mr. Stiggins • “It cert‘nly seems a queer start to send out pocket-’ankershers to people as don’t know the use on’em” • “T’other sunday I wos walkin’ up the road…” • “…till you’d ha’thought…” • → examples for the speech accent • used for characterization • “...they’re the wictims of gammon.” • “…and take him vith you…” • “Ven you’re a married man, Samivel,…” • → exchange of v and w (and even u), which is more a stereotype of Cockney pronunciation that actual usage, at least not to the extent given by Dickens • “They’re alvays a-doin some gammon of that sort…” → older progressive pattern (< on doing) • “I vish you could muffle that ‘ere Stiggins,…” → ‘ere < there (deictic reinforcement of distance) Sarah Waters: Fingersmith (2002) • A crime novel that takes place in 19th century London • Deals with intrigues in the context of legacy hunting and family affairs Characters • Sue – protagonist; a fingersmith (“thief, pickpocket”) • Maud – rich heiress • Gentleman – marriage impostor • Mrs Sucksby – Sue’s adoptive and Maud’s real mother Plot and Setting • Sue is sent to Briar (a country estate) as a maid for Maud → has planned an intrigue with Gentleman: intention to claim Maud’s inheritance by marrying her and having her committed to a madhouse afterwards • Sue and Maud fall in love with each other, but Sue still pursues the plan • Sue is conned by Maud and Gentleman → it is her who is retained in the asylum • Sue manages to escape from the asylum and returns to London → exacts vengeance for the betrayal • With Sue having returned to Mrs Sucksby’s house, the truth is finally revealed: → Mrs Sucksby and Gentleman have double-crossed both of the girls • Gentleman is killed by Maud in a scuffle between the four of them • Mrs Sucksby shoulders the blame for the murder and is sentenced to death • Having resolved the maternal confusion, the two girls initiate a sexual relationship back at Briar Language Usage of Relative Pronouns • “ I mean your proper mother, that died.” • “ I want my mothers, that loved me.” → that as a non-defining relative pronoun Usage of Comparison • “ She was a deal gratefuller than you are…” → comparative ending {-er} does not depend on the number of syllables Usage of present tense {s} • “Don’t say much, do she?” • “Why don’t she wear the kind of stays […] ?” • “I hates those girls, though.” • “My love, I loves you for trying.” → left out in 3rd person singular of the auxiliary do → used in the 1st person of (some) lexical verbs Usage of Simple Past • “ I should say you don’t felt nothing […]“ → negation only and not tense is realized by the auxiliary Usage of Present Perfect • “She’ve come down from London.” • “Miss Maud’ve been fretting after you.” → have as 3rd person sg. auxiliary • “Is there no-one come to meet you?” → verbs of motion realized by the auxiliary be Negation of Present Perfect • “But the girl ain’t been born […]” • “I dare say you ain’t got all your teeth yet” → negation: ain’t as substitute for have/has not Simple Present: Negation of be • “Nice ain’t they?” • “Ain’t there a cab-man could take me?” • “Ain’t you my own girl?” → negation: ain’t as substitute for is/are not Sources • Kinder, H., Hilgemann, W. (eds.) (2000) dtv-Atlas Weltgeschichte, 25th ed. Munich: Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag. • Morton A.L. (2003) A People’s History of England, 5th ed. London: Lawrence and Wishart. • Porter, A.N. (ed.) (1991) Atlas of British Overseas Expansion. London: Routledge. • Wilson, A.N. (2002) The Victorians. London: Random House. • Sarah Waters. Fingersmith. London: Virago, 2005 • http://www.sarahwaters.com/library.php?t=fingersmith • http://www.librarything.com/work/12225 • http://www.bbc.co.uk/drama/fingersmith/ • http://charlesdickenspage.com • http://www.victorianweb.org/authors/dickens/pickwick/index.html Websites lastly viewed on 12th January 2010.