What students will know

What students will remember

What students will be able to do

• Dickens’ father was sent to a debtors’ prison
• Wrote many novels: ‘Great Expectations’, ‘A Christmas Carol’ and ‘Bleak House’.
• Novels were published as periodicals
• Lived from 1812-1870
• Dickens’ novels are laced with sarcasm and exaggeration to emphasis the cruelty his protagonists suffer.
• The Victorian Era (1837-1901)
• The Industrial Revolution affected people’s day to day lives
• Criminals could be transported to British Colonies like Australia
• London was covered in smog
• Poor Law of 1834 criminalised the poor
• Death in childbirth was more common in the Victorian Era, so orphans were common.
• The plot of Oliver Twist
• Characterisation of Fagin, Mr Bumble, The Artful Dodger, Nancy, Noah Claypole and Rose.

• Charles Dickens was a famous Victorian novelist and wanted to show support for vulnerable members of society.
• The Victorian Era was a great time for social change.
• London was a growing, dirty, disease d and crime-ridden city.
• A novel is an extended piece of fiction which tells a story.
• The plot of Oliver Twist, including the key characters.

• Write correct topics which should say something relevant, accurate and contain a single point.
• Select relevant quotations from the text to support topic sentences.
• Write essays which are composed of a series of analytical paragraphs.

Plot breakdown

Oliver is born in the workhouse. When he is a bit older he is nominated to ask for more food because the boys are starving.

He is kicked out of the workhouse and given away to the Sowerberry family to be an undertaker’s apprentice. He’s bullied by Noah, they fight and he is locked up.

Oliver runs away to London, meets Dodger and is introduced to Fagin’s gang.

Oliver is taken out with the gang and is horrified to see Dodger steal a gentleman’s handkerchief. Oliver is wrongly arrested for the theft.

The gentleman, Mr. Brownlow, takes pity on Oliver and takes him in. The gang plot to get him back in case he reveals information about them.

Oliver is abducted by the gang whilst running an errand for Mr. Brownlow.

Oliver is used by Sikes in a burglary. They fail and Sikes runs away. Oliver is left behind but the people who live there feel sorry for him and look after him. They are called Fred and Rose Maylie.

When Bill and Fagin realise what has happened, they plot to catch Oliver again. Nancy overhears and visits Mr. Brownlow to warn him.

Fagin tells Bill about Nancy’s betrayal and Bill murders her. Fagin is discovered and sent to prison and Bill dies trying to run away.

Oliver discovers who his parents were and joins Mr. Brownlow and the Maylies to live happily ever after.

Characters

Oliver

He is a ‘pale, thin’ orphan who is treated badly by almost everyone he meets. He tries his best to be a good person and experiences ‘horror and alarm’ whenever he sees crimes being committed.

Mr. Bumble

The man who runs the workhouse and gives Oliver his name. He is ‘a fat man’ who enjoys power and doesn’t care about the people beneath him.

Noah Claypole

A ‘malicious and ill-conditioned’ boy who bullies Oliver at the undertakers. He eventually runs away to London and joins the same gang as Oliver.

Fagin

An old man who runs the gang of pickpockets. He seems kind but his ‘villainous-looking and repulsive face’ reflects his selfish nature as he gets young boys to do his dirty work for him.

Jack Dawkins (The Artful Dodger)

A young boy who introduces Oliver to Fagin’s gang who has ‘all the airs and manners of a man’. He’s confident and cunning.

Bill Sikes

A ’rough man’ who has been a criminal for many years. He beats his dog viciously and brutally kills his girlfriend, Nancy.

Nancy

Bill’s girlfriend who risks her life to help Oliver escape from the gang. She loves Bill even though he treats her abusively and she feels guilty about the life of crime she has led.

Mr. Brownlow

A wealthy older gentleman who takes Oliver in and looks after him. He believes in Oliver’s goodness even when it looks like Oliver has stolen from him and eventually finds out the truth about Oliver’s parents.

Key words

morality – a code of right and wrong. People who try to be good can be called moral and people who do bad things can be called immoral.

vulnerable – in a situation in which you could be easily harmed. People living on the streets are vulnerable.

brutal – very violent or cruel.

corrupt – a word used to describe a person who uses their power in a dishonest or illegal way in order to make life better for themselves.

villain – a ‘baddie’ who harms other people or breaks the law to get what they want.

malicious – meant to hurt or upset someone.

victim – someone who has been harmed, often by other people.

naïve – If someone is naïve if they don’t have experience of how complicated life can be and therefore trust people too much.

society – the people who live in a certain area. This could be a country, town or small group.

workhouse – a place where people who couldn’t support themselves were sent to live and work.

What students will know

(Scandal in Bohemia, The Red-Headed League, The Blue Carbuncle’)

What students will remember

What students will be able to do

• Conan Doyle lived between 1859 and 1930. His father was an alcoholic who was institutionalised.
• Conan Doyle studied medicine at Edinburgh University and was taught by Dr. Joseph Bell who was involved in the investigation of various crimes including the Ripper murders.
• Sherlock Holmes is not the first literary detective, but is said to be the most influential.
• The Victorian Era was from 1837 to 1901.
• The Victorian Era was built on strict moral codes built on Christian values.
• DNA profiling had not yet been invented which meant it was easier for criminals to get away with crimes.
• In the Victorian Era, Bohemia was an area of central Europe; today it is a region of the Czech Republic.
• Sherlock Holmes is sometimes manically energetic and at other times is highly introspective.
• Watson is a typical Victorian Gentleman and contrasts Holme’s nature.

• The Sherlock Holmes stories were written by Arthur Conan Doyle who was a trained doctor.
• The police were founded in 1829 which expanded within the Victorian Era
• Crime was still a huge issue, along with disease and Cholera.
• John Snow investigated a series of deaths in Soho. He used scientific methods in his investigation.
• The Sherlock Holmes stories were published in the The Strand.

• Link topic sentences across paragraphs
• Select relevant quotations from the text to support topic sentences
• Explaining where a quotation is from and what it is about in detail.

Characters

Sherlock Holmes – a fictional consulting detective created by Arthur Conan Doyle. He is known for his intelligence, introspection and dual nature. He is described as an ‘observing machine’ because of his ability to capture the essence of people with seemingly very little evidence.

Dr Watson – Holmes’ former flatmate, a doctor and his closest companion. The stories are told from his perspective, working as Holmes’ assistant.

Irene Adler – a famous American opera singer who had a relationship with the future King of Bohemia. To Holmes, she is ‘the woman’ who outsmarted him.

King of Bohemia – in the Victorian era, Bohemia was an area of central Europe; today it is a region of the Czech Republic. The King is engaged to a Scandinavian princess but five years previously was madly in love with Irene Adler. Because of his status, he was unable to marry her at the time, which he regrets. The King still respects Adler.

James Ryder – head attendant of the hotel where the Blue Carbuncle goes missing. He works with his accomplice Catherine Cusack (the countess’ maid) to steal the jewel and frame John Horner for the crime. He is racked with guilt and confesses when Holmes questions him.

Jabez Wilson – a London pawnbroker who has distinctively red hair. His business is struggling so he takes the job working for The Red-Headed League. Wilson was tricked by his assistant Vincent Spaulding who worked alongside another criminal to use his shop to rob the bank next door.

Vincent Spaulding/John Clay – Jabez Wilson’s assistant. This is actually a disguise for John Clay who attempts a bank robbery using Wilson’s shop as an easy passage.

Background information

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was the author of the Sherlock Holmes stories.

Sherlock Holmes’ fictional home was 221B Baker Street, which is now a museum of Doyle’s life and work.

Doyle’s short stories were published individually in The Strand Magazine periodical and then collected to form The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes short story collection in 1892.

Before he became a writer, Doyle studied medicine.

Key words

deduction – the process of reaching a decision by looking at the facts that are known. Holmes is able to use his skills of deduction to solve crimes.

scandal – a scandal is something that shocks people because they think it is morally wrong. The King of Bohemia fears that scandal of his relationship with Irene Adler being exposed.

periodical/serial – books, magazines or other entertainment that are released on a regular basis. The Strand Magazine was a periodical that published the Sherlock Holmes stores.

introspective – when you examine your own thoughts, ideas, and feelings. Sherlock Holmes can be introspective. This makes him a better detective.

dual nature – Holmes has a dual nature: his quiet introspective side, and his manic detecting side.

Fallible – someone who is fallible makes mistakes. Someone infallible is always right. Holmes seems infallible but Irene Adler proves that he is, in fact, fallible.

Scandal in Bohemia – plot overview

• The King of Bohemia plans to marry a Norwegian princess. However, he previously had a relationship with a woman called Irene Adler. Adler is threatening to ruin his engagement with a picture she has of herself and the king together.
• Holmes tricks Adler into revealing where she keeps the photograph, but she outsmarts Holmes and escapes with it. Adler decides not to use the picture against the king. She leaves a picture of herself in its place, which Holmes keeps as a reminder of her.

The Read-Headed League – plot overview

• Jabez Wilson gets a job with the mysterious ‘Red- Headed League’ because of his ‘flame’ coloured hair.
• One day, he is mysteriously told that he is no longer needed by the league so visits Holmes to ask him to investigate.
• Holmes discovers that his story reveals a plot to steal from a bank vault which is successfully prevented.

The Blue Carbuncle – plot overview

• A policeman named Peterson is left with a man’s hat and Christmas goose.
• He takes the goose home to eat and discovers a blue carbuncle (a rare, and very valuable jewel) inside the goose!
• Holmes recognises the jewel as the one that was stolen from The Countess of Morcar. Using the hat as a clue, Holmes and Watson set off to discover how the blue carbuncle was stolen and how it ended up in a goose.

What students will know

What students will remember

What students will be able to do

• Much of Charlotte Brontë’s work is at least semi-autobiographical.
• The physical description of Jane matches Brontë’s stature.
• Jane’s isolation also reflects Brontë’s own removal from society.
• Generally, those who consider the human being to be a “tabula rasa” or “blank slate”.
• The belief that children are inherently sinful is held to descend from The Bible and the concept of The Fall.
• Plot of Jane Eyre
• Characterisation
• The treatment of Bertha Mason, a creole woman, is a subject of controversy. Jean Rhys’ novel, The Wide Sargasso Sea is a feminist and post-colonial response to Jane Eyre.

• Charlotte Brontë was from a family of writers.
• She wrote in the Victorian era.
• Brontë also spent time as a teacher.
• Her pen name was Currer Bell.
• All her siblings eventually died of tuberculosis as did she.
• There were three main attitudes towards childhood in Victorian England.
• There was no benefits system in Victorian England and no Social Services.
• Orphans like Jane had to rely on the charity of others.
• The Bible is made up of two main books: The Old Testament and The New Testament. The Old Testament is harsher than The New Testament.

• Students will sustain a thesis across a whole essay.
• Students will evaluate the presentation of characters
• Students will be able to analyse the presentation of characters and their views.

Chapter breakdown

1

On a bitter day, Jane is curled up with a book when her cousin, John Reed, discovers her and hits her. She fights back and is sent to the red-room.

2

Jane is locked in the red-room. She sits in turmoil until she hears and sees something odd. She begs to be let out. She faints.

3

Jane wakes up in the nursery. Bessie and Mr Lloyd are there. Jane is miserable. Mr Lloyd talks to Jane about going to school.

4

Jane is visited by Mr Brocklehurst, the headteacher at Lowood School. After his visit, Jane and Mrs Reed argue. Jane says she will never call her ‘aunt’ again.

5

Jane travels to Lowood School. She meets Miss Temple, the kind teacher, and Helen Burns, another pupil.

6

Helen is thrashed for having dirty hands. Later, she talks with Jane and explains that it is better to forgive and be patient than to get angry and seek revenge.

7

Mr Brocklehurst visits Lowood School. He calls Jane to the front of the classroom and calls her a liar in front of all the teachers and pupils. Helen smiles at Jane, bringing Jane hope.

8

Afterwards, Jane and Helen visit Miss Temple. Miss Temple says she believes that Jane is not a liar. Jane listens to Miss Temple and Helen’s fascinating conversations. Miss Temple hears from Mr Lloyd that Jane is not a liar, and tells the school.

9

Jane enjoys the area around Lowood in the spring. Typhus breaks out at Lowood School. Lots of girls get sick. Many die. Helen Burns dies of tuberculosis.

10

Eight years pass. Jane has become a teacher at Lowood School. Mr Brocklehurst had his power removed when his treatment at the school was discovered. Jane applies to be a governess for a family at Milcote.

Locations

Gateshead Hall

Home of Mrs Reed, John, Georgiana, and Eliza Reed. Jane grows up here. Jane is locked in the red-room.

Lowood School

Jane is sent to Lowood by Mrs Reed. Mr Brocklehurst is the headteacher. Conditions are harsh and strict. The girls receive brutal punishments and are fed poorly. A typhus outbreak kills many of the girls.

Characters

Jane Eyre The main character. A young, intelligent, and passionate orphan. “You think I have no feelings, and that I can do without one bit of love or kindness; but I cannot live so”

Mrs Reed – Jane’s aunt She neglects and abuses Jane and is glad to send her away to Lowood School. “Guard against her worst fault, a tendency to deceit”

Mr Brocklehurst – The governor of Lowood school A cruel and hypocritical Christian. He believes in driving evil from children through harsh discipline. “Punish her body to save her soul”

Helen Burns – Jane’s friend A kind and forgiving Christian. She inspires Jane to be more patient and accepting. She dies of tuberculosis at 14. “Love your enemies; bless them that curse you; do good to them that hate you and despitefully use you.”

Miss Temple The kind and understanding teacher at Lowood. Offers care and affection to Jane and Helen. “You shall be publicly cleared from every imputation: to me, Jane, you are clear now.”

Biographical information

1

‘Jane Eyre’ written in 1847 by Charlotte Brontë.

2

Parts of ‘Jane Eyre’ were influenced by Brontë’s experiences at school and as a young woman.

3

‘Jane Eyre’ was unusual when it was published because it is written in the first-person from a female perspective.

Key words

orphan – a child whose parents have died.

dependent – someone who relies on another person to support them financially. Jane is a dependent because she relies on Mrs Reed to feed, clothe and house her.

oppress (vb.) – to treat a group of people in an unfair way, often by limiting their freedom.

juxtaposition – a literary technique where a writer places very different things or people close to each other. This helps to show how the things are similar or different.

thesis – the main idea that you want to discuss throughout an essay.

humiliate (vb.) – to make someone feel stupid or ashamed. If something makes you feel stupid or ashamed, you could describe it as humiliating.

hypocrite – someone who says one thing, but does the opposite at another time.

comeuppance – when a villain receives some form of punishment for what they did.

Victorian attitudes to childhood

1

A child is a blank slate and can be trained to develop into a rational being.

2

A child is born completely innocent and pure. They are only contaminated by contact with corrupt forces.

3

The child is born evil and must therefore be controlled and punished in order to submit to the rules of God and society.