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Silas Marner - Context
What were the weavers called who violently protested against mechanised textile production?

Silas Marner - Context

This GCSE English Literature quiz will challenge you on context in George Eliot's Silas Marner. The environment in which a text is written is its context. In many ways context resembles and can sometimes be confused with setting. You might like to think of context as the author’s own setting. Geographical location, political events, and social issues together create the context of any particular text. Issues and events from the author’s past can often have as much effect on a text as those occurring contemporaneously. Context also includes any personal beliefs of the author which help to shape the work.

How to write about context

Learning about the context of a fictional work can be useful because it gives an insight into some of the influences which help to shape a text.

It is important to remember, however, that there is no straightforward relationship between text and context. Being complex in itself, history cannot dictate the meaning of any text. Instead, context works its influence through the author’s own aims and purposes. In Silas Marner, for example, George Eliot addresses many aspects of English rural life which she saw diminished and disappearing during her lifetime. This creates an air of nostalgia in the text, but many of its themes speak to the context in which it was written as much as to that in which it is set.

Pay close attention to the text to find out what it says about history, about politics, or about social issues. You can develop a deeper understanding of these issues through researching a work’s context. What was happening at the time the text was written? How does this relate to the issues being written about? Compare your knowledge of historical context to whatever the text says about these issues. At the same time, do not forget that works of art exist beyond their context. Good texts continue creating meaning long after the time when they are written.

In analysing a text, be careful to distinguish between its setting and its context. A novel such as Silas Marner, which is set in a time and place not too distant from when it was written, will still be affected by the difference between setting and context.

Research the context of George Eliot’s Silas Marner, remembering everything you have learned in English and (perhaps) history lessons, and try these questions to see how much you know.

1.
Unlike many women in the nineteenth century, George Eliot was very well-educated, both formally and self-taught. How does Eppie receive an education?
She attends a grammar school for girls, where she learns reading, arithmetic, music and science
She learns to read from Silas
She attends grammar school alongside Aaron
She spends a short period each day at a "dame school" in order to learn to read
Girls who were fortunate enough to receive some education learned to read at dame school. George Eliot, who was born in 1819, was sent away to various boarding schools to receive a more thorough education than Eppie's
2.
Silas's chapel in Lantern Yard differs from the church in Raveloe by being which of the following?
Silas's chapel is not Christian; the church in Raveloe is
Silas's chapel is non-conformist; the church in Raveloe is established (Church of England)
Silas's chapel is traditional; the church in Raveloe is not
The chapel and the church do not differ in any way other than by name
Eliot portrays the worshippers in Raveloe as content with tradition, even when they do not understand doctrine or their own beliefs. Silas's chapel encourages education and a better understanding of belief, but also becomes a cruel and unwelcoming place for the falsely-accused young man
3.
Which of the following refers to one of the greatest changes experienced in Britain between the latter half of the 18th century and the first half of the 19th century?
The Industrial Revolution
The Renaissance
The Civil War
The Reformation
Agriculture and textiles, along with other crafts, became more mechanised. Many people's livelihoods were destroyed as machines came to replace human labour. Silas's craft as a weaver is endangered by mechanised textile production
4.
Eliot's religious views were influenced by which of the following?
Evangelical Christianity
Atheism
Wide theological reading
All of the above
Eliot rejected her evangelical background, but developed a friendly predisposition towards genuine beliefs which encouraged good in humanity
5.
Dunstan and Godfrey are short of money at the beginning of the novel despite being sons of the local squire. Which one of the following is NOT a reason for their lack of money?
The Squire's estate is poor and his tenants do not pay their rent
Godfrey, as the eldest son, will only inherit his wealth after his father's death
Dunstan, as a younger son of Squire Cass, will not inherit his father's estate
The Squire has been lax about making his sons leave home to earn a living
The nineteenth century saw the rise of a new class of people made wealthy through manufacture, rather than through inherited wealth linked to land
6.
Why can Godfrey not divorce Molly?
Fathers could forbid their heirs from divorcing
Obtaining a divorce was legally impossible
Obtaining a divorce required a private Act of Parliament
Only a woman could petition for divorce. Men could not ask for a divorce
Until 1857, only Parliament could grant a divorce. Such divorces could only be granted in cases of adultery. They were also very expensive and thus limited to the wealthy
7.
Which of the following is true?
Although the class system affects characters in the novel, class had ceased to affect British people during Eliot's lifetime
Although the Industrial Revolution encouraged some social mobility, the class system continued to have an impact on people's lives during the second half of the nineteenth century
In contrast to the rigid class system of her own time, Eliot creates an idealised village in which class plays no part
None of the above
Class distinctions are very much present in Raveloe. Silas's interruption of the men in the Rainbow to report the theft of his gold is not as disruptive as his interruption of a private dinner party at the Red House after he finds Molly Farren. In addition, Godfrey's secret marriage to Molly is disgraceful because of her lowly status. Such social stratification continues throughout the nineteenth century
8.
When was Silas Marner first published?
1761
1811
1861
1911
The novel is set in the first half of the century
9.
What were the weavers called who violently protested against mechanised textile production?
Puritans
Diggers
Luddites
Levellers
In a bid to save the livelihood of weavers, the Luddites broke up power looms and weaving frames between 1811 and 1812. Interestingly, these violent protests take place during the years when Silas Marner leaps forward to its second part. Silas's trade has begun to suffer by this point. Eliot writes from a perspective in time when mechanised textile production has become completely dominant
10.
Which of the following is NOT true?
George Eliot was the pen-name of Mary Ann Evans
George Eliot revealed her identity as an author during her lifetime
Women were not permitted to publish novels during the 19th century
Several female authors in the nineteenth-century published under male pen-names
By using a pen name, especially one which was masculine, some female authors hoped for their works to be judged upon merit, rather than being approached with prejudice
Author:  Sheri Smith

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