Consuelo Canciani                                           5B

Victorian novel

1.Why is fiction so important during the Victorian Age? List at least four reason.

Fiction is so important during the Victorian Age because it reflects social changes.

2. Who was the ideal reading public of the Victorian novel?

The ideal reading public of the Victorian novel was the middle class, because the novels always speak about social classes.

3. Why were novels published in instolements?

4. What are the main contents of the Victorian novel?

The main contents of the Victorian novel are the differences of social classes and the problems of relationship between them.

5. Whit reference to industrial revolution process, explain why class was one of the most important topics of the novel.

Class was one of the most important topics of the novel because, after the industrial revolution, reflects the problems of the society of the time.

6. Illustrate the most important stylistic choices in Dickens's fiction.

The most important stylistic choise in Dickens's fiction are parody, irony; he describes the characters like a caricature. Then, Dickens uses an hyperbolic language in his compositions, that creates a grotesque effect.

7. Explain what pathos is and how it works.

Pathos is typical of Victorian novel. It gives to the reader the feeling of identification. It is analogous to philanthropy.

8. The grotesque is one of the main ingredients of the Victorian fiction. Explain what it is and how it works.

The grotesque is the way to make comic a dramatic situation. It works through humorous strategies.

9. Explain how philanthropy worked as an alibi for people.

Philanthropy worked through falsity: the rich gave money to poors to appear good men. They wanted to have a clear conscience.

10. Explain why the Victorian novel played a fundamental role on legislates and opinion formers.

The Victorian novel played a fundamental role on legislates and opinion formers because the writing become a sort of industry: the life of the middle class contributed to change the public opinion.

11. Characterisation in Victorian fiction is one of the features intelligent readers cannot forget. Discuss.

An intelligent reader cannot forget characterisation in Victorian fiction because the compositions had aim to entertain and want to make people reflect too.

12. Explain the role of caricature.

The role of caricature is to give extreme features to the characters, so that the reader doesn't identify himself in them.

13. Say why the Victorian novel mainly reproduces the contradiction of the middle class. Try to say what in contemporary culture is very much similar to the Victorian production in the world of the media.

Un the contemporary culture very much similar to the Victorian production in the world of the media is the subliminal message: hides a truth that the reader doesn't understand in a first moment.  

14. Fact is a key word in Dickens production. Discuss.  

Facts is a key word in Dickens production because they are the consequence of Utilitarianism.