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.
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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.
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1.
|
When was Silas Marner first published? |
|
[ ] |
1761 |
[ ] |
1811 |
[ ] |
1861 |
[ ] |
1911 |
|
|
2.
|
Eliot's religious views were influenced by which of the following? |
|
[ ] |
Evangelical Christianity |
[ ] |
Atheism |
[ ] |
Wide theological reading |
[ ] |
All of the above |
|
|
3.
|
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 |
|
|
4.
|
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 |
|
|
5.
|
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 |
|
|
6.
|
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 |
|
|
7.
|
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 |
|
|
8.
|
What were the weavers called who violently protested against mechanised textile production? |
|
[ ] |
Puritans |
[ ] |
Diggers |
[ ] |
Luddites |
[ ] |
Levellers |
|
|
9.
|
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 |
|
|
10.
|
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 |
|
|
1.
|
When was Silas Marner first published? |
|
[ ] |
1761 |
[ ] |
1811 |
[x] |
1861 |
[ ] |
1911 |
|
|
2.
|
Eliot's religious views were influenced by which of the following? |
|
[ ] |
Evangelical Christianity |
[ ] |
Atheism |
[ ] |
Wide theological reading |
[x] |
All of the above |
|
|
3.
|
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 |
[x] |
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 |
|
|
4.
|
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? |
|
[x] |
The Industrial Revolution |
[ ] |
The Renaissance |
[ ] |
The Civil War |
[ ] |
The Reformation |
|
|
5.
|
Why can Godfrey not divorce Molly? |
|
[ ] |
Fathers could forbid their heirs from divorcing |
[ ] |
Obtaining a divorce was legally impossible |
[x] |
Obtaining a divorce required a private Act of Parliament |
[ ] |
Only a woman could petition for divorce. Men could not ask for a divorce |
|
|
6.
|
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 |
[x] |
Women were not permitted to publish novels during the 19th century |
[ ] |
Several female authors in the nineteenth-century published under male pen-names |
|
|
7.
|
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? |
|
[x] |
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 |
|
|
8.
|
What were the weavers called who violently protested against mechanised textile production? |
|
[ ] |
Puritans |
[ ] |
Diggers |
[x] |
Luddites |
[ ] |
Levellers |
|
|
9.
|
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 |
[x] |
She spends a short period each day at a "dame school" in order to learn to read |
|
|
10.
|
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 |
[x] |
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 |
|
|