In recent times, "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" became known through the film adaptation by Tim Burton. However, the following work revolves around the original, the novel published by Lewis Carroll in 1856. This period is known as the Victorian age, during which Queen Victoria reigned and expanded Britain's sphere of power. Various influences and numerous inventions changed people's lives.
A keyword in this regard is the Industrial Revolution, the foundations of which were laid several decades earlier but came to full realization in the nineteenth century. These achievements transformed British society in a way that had never happened before. People increasingly moved to the cities, and new professions developed. The situation of children also changed because until then, they were seen more as miniature adults who had no needs or desires. What Rousseau had initiated decades earlier was now being implemented in the Victorian era: children were granted a world of their own. Although one cannot compare this understanding with the view of childhood today, it nevertheless represented progress for adolescents of Victorian Britain.
In this time of change, Lewis Carroll wrote his fairytale-like children's novel, in which a Victorian girl named Alice dives into a dream world and experiences all kinds of adventures. Throughout the story, she faces many characters and creatures that are still strongly reminiscent of the patriarchal system of that time. This process is significant since, during that period, the understanding of childhood evolved, and the role of girls, in particular, started to transform.
This term paper deals with the expectations placed on women and girls in the Victorian era and examines how female characters behave in the novel. The question to be addressed is: How does Lewis Carroll portray the female characters, especially Alice, in his novel Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, and to what extent are these literary figures shaped by the Victorian age?
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- 1 Introduction
- 2 The Victorian Age
- 2.1 Class
- 2.2 Gender
- 2.3 The Ideal of Womanhood
- 2.4 Childhood and Education
- 3 Analysis
- 3.1 The Duchess
- 3.2 The Cook
- 3.3 The Queen of Hearts
- 3.4 Alice
- 4 Conclusion
- 5 List of Works Cited
- Primary Sources
- Secondary Sources
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This term paper aims to explore the portrayal of female characters in Lewis Carroll's "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" and examine how they are shaped by the Victorian age. The work analyzes the expectations placed on women and girls in the era and examines how these expectations manifest in the novel's characters.
- The influence of the Victorian era on the portrayal of female characters in "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland"
- The representation of class, gender, and the ideal of womanhood in Victorian society
- The evolution of childhood and education during the Victorian period
- An analysis of the behavior and characteristics of female characters like the Duchess, the Cook, the Queen of Hearts, and Alice
- The exploration of how the novel reflects the social and cultural norms of the Victorian age
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
The first chapter introduces the context of "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" by briefly discussing its popularity through film adaptations and placing it within the Victorian era. The chapter then explores the significance of the Industrial Revolution in shaping Victorian society and its impact on childhood and education.
Chapter two provides an overview of the Victorian age, focusing on the societal structure, gender roles, and the ideal of womanhood. It examines the hierarchical class system, with a particular focus on the working, middle, and upper classes, highlighting the differences in their economic, cultural, and social lives. The chapter also explores the doctrine of separate spheres, which defined the distinct roles of men and women in public and domestic spheres.
Chapter three delves into the analysis of select scenes from "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland," linking them to the characteristics of the Victorian age previously discussed. It examines the portrayal of female characters, such as the Duchess, the Cook, the Queen of Hearts, and Alice, and how they embody the expectations and norms of the era.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
The primary keywords and focus topics of this work are Victorian era, female characters, gender roles, class structure, the ideal of womanhood, childhood and education, "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland," Lewis Carroll, and social and cultural norms.
- Quote paper
- Jalda Kalhor-Moghaddam (Author), 2021, "Alice in Wonderland" and the Victorian Age. A Portrayal of the Female Characters in Lewis Carroll's Novel, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/1275939
