L1: What was it like to live in Victorian England L1: What was it like to live in Victorian England? Who is Charles Dickens? Why is his work seminal?

What similarities exist between the two pictures? Do it now What can you infer about the two families above? (What details have led you to make those inferences?) What similarities exist between the two pictures? What differences exist between the two pictures?

We are going to travel back to Victorian London somewhere between the years of 1820 and 1840… New knowledge

New knowledge And a time when there was a strong divide between the rich and the poor…

New knowledge This was in part due to the Industrial Revolution. The Industrial Revolution describes a time in which British industry became predominately machine powered and hand processing was abandoned. This transition lasted between 1760-1840. The dominant industries in London were textiles and brewing. New knowledge

New knowledge Lots of new factories opened in London which meant lots more jobs for working people. Everyone had a place in the factories: Men were employed to do heavy manual labour. Women and children were employed to do fiddly jobs that required small fingers, such as crawling under machines.

People moved from the countryside to the cities looking for jobs – this is called urbanisation. The population in London increased significantly, leading to overcrowding in the affordable housing and slums. New knowledge

New knowledge

Overcrowding was a big problem in London, often seeing whole families living in one room. New knowledge Working and lower class people didn’t have access to proper plumbing, meaning sewage would run through the streets, contaminating water which led to outbreaks of cholera (1850s) and polio.

Industry, therefore, led to a much greater class division: Middle classes and upper classes benefitted from occupying more gentle, well-paid jobs high up in industry. Working classes had to work long hours with no break, often at risk of contracting illnesses and injuring themselves. New knowledge

Pen to paper Based upon what you have learnt, can you summarise why the differences between these two pictures might exist?

New knowledge Who is Charles Dickens? Charles Dickens, the author of our novel for this term, was born into a comfortable household. His father was a clerk in a Naval Pay Office and this meant that Dickens was raised well and was afforded a private education. HOWEVER, over the years, his father had racked up a level of debt and was sent to Marshalsea debtor’s prison. His wife and youngest children joined him there, which was normal at the time. Charles boarded with Elizbaeth Roylance, a family friend. To pay for his board and to help his family, Dickens was forced to leave school and work ten-hour days at Warren’s Blacking Warehouse where he earned six shillings a week. This was strenuous and hard work. Dickens felt bitter and sad at the loss of his childhood, remarking ‘how could I have been so easily cast away at such an age?’ Upon the death of his father’s mother, the family came into some money meaning that John Dickens was released from prison. As a result, Charles went back to live with his family. He attended school once again before taking a job as a junior clerk which eventually led him to the writing career he is famous for today. New knowledge Who is Charles Dickens?

Why is Dickens such an important writer? Dickens was a social commentator. His works were considered works of social commentary. He was a fierce critic of poverty and of the social divide / hierarchy stating that ‘Virtue shows quite well in rags and patches as she does in purple and fine linen.’ He used his novels to highlight his frustrations with the social hierarchy and the poor, as a result. His works focused on the lives of the forgotten poor and disadvantaged within society. He depicted the exploitation and the oppression of the poor and condemned the public officials and institutions that not only allowed such abuses to exist, but flourished as a result. He also campaigned, as a journalist, about many issues but in particular about the conditions in workhouses. New knowledge Why is Dickens such an important writer?

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens Our work this term: A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens New knowledge https://www.bl.uk/romantics-and-victorians/articles/the-origins-of-a-christmas-carol

But this was nearly 200 years ago, it’s not relevant to me today… is it?? Reflection

Is it?? Reflection