Michaela Jensen's blog

Second Anglo-Afghan War and The Man Who Would be King

Submitted by Michaela Jensen on

Only eight years after the second Anglo-Afghan war, Richard Kipling writes The Man Who Would be KIng, which is also located in Afghanistan. Kipling's story is not a retelling of the war, but rather what it represented. Early in the novella Carnehan remarkes that they have "deicided that India isn't big enough for such as us" (9). This attitude reflects the imperialistic attitudes of Victorian England. The British didn't need Afghanistan, but they wanted to keep Russian out and so they started a two year war over it.

Principles of Geology and "In Memoriam"

Submitted by Michaela Jensen on

It is interesting to note that most contemporaries associate theories of evolution with Darwin, when there were others who were talking about evolution and natural selection before him. This is especially important to point for a discussion of "In Memoriam" because Darwin's On the Origin of Species was actually published nine years after Tennyson's poem. Before Darwin's book the more prevalent texts on theories of evolution--both human and the world--were Charles Lyell's Principles of Geology and Robert Chambers Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation.

1868 Pharmacy Act and "Goblin Market"

Submitted by Michaela Jensen on

Christina Rosetti’s poem “Goblin Market” can be linked to the opium and laudanum addictions of the Victorian era. Laudanum, an opium derivative, was sold in common markets to all members of the public, often alongside products such as fruits and vegetables. Laudanum was endorsed by doctors as a miracle cure for nearly all ills. However, there was a growing awareness also in the medical profession of the addictive nature of the drug.

David Livingstone Sets Sails for Africa

Submitted by Michaela Jensen on

Many of the colonial values seen in the life of Livingstone are reflected in the character of St. John Rivers, the pastor-turned-missionary of Jane Eyre.  For example, in an early appeal, the London Missionary society asked for “messengers to the nations . . . to entreat [the foreigners] that they turn from their dumb idol to the living God, and to wait for His Son from heaven.” Similarly, Rivers says his “great work” is to give “religion for superstition, the hope of heaven for the fear of hell” (471).

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