1

THE VICTORIAN
AGE

1. Why can we say that the Victorian Age is a complex period ?

2. What did the Great Exhibition of 1851 mark within the Victorian Period?
Raffaella
Mannori @ ORAL TESTS 2015-2016
3. We normally
identify the Victorian Period associating it to the so-called Victorian
4.
5.
6.
7.

compromise . Explain
What are the general characteristics of the Victorian novel?
What are the characteristics of the writers of the so-called Condition of England?
What are the main characteristics of the Late Victorian writing?
What Romantic and Gothic elements are present in the novel WUTHERING

HEIGHTS?

8. Make a comparison between the ideal Victorian woman and the character of Catherine
Earnshaw in Wuthering Heights, specifying her Victorian and anti-Victorian sides
9. Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff belong to the same natural principles. Illustrate the
characteristics of natural symbolism in Wuthering Heights.
10. Illustrate the meaning of the words : He is more myself than I am used by Catherine
to convey the particular nature of her feelings for Heathcliff.
11. Illustrate the differences between the type of love Catherine professes for Heathcliff
and Edgar, referring to the similes in the passage in which Catherine talks to Nelly
Dean
12. It is generally agreed that Wuthering Heights does not comply with the conventional
features of the Victorian fiction but rather the novel expresses typical Romantic
aspects. Illustrate some Romantic features present in the novel .
13. Wuthering Heights shows a revolutionary structure . Give reasons.
14. Explain , if any, the possible relationships existing between Emily Bronts life and her
novel Wuthering Heights
15. Wuthering Heights has been defined as a cry from the heart and the soul . Give
reasons.
16. Discuss the Romantic and the Gothic elements present in Wuthering Heights , pointing
out the characteristics of the natural symbolism
17. The novel combines Romantic and Victorian features . Give reasons.
18. Why can we say that the novel Wuthering Heights is based on Doubles? Give at least 3
examples

19. Explain why JANE

EYRE is a novel which is critical of Victorian England strict social

hierarchy
20. In Jane Eyre Charlotte Bront introduces a modern view of the role of women,
especially in relation to the idea of marriage . Give reasons.
21. Illustrate the Gothic elements present in the novel and explain their function in the
novel.
22. Explain how the theme of male supremacy over women is treated in Jane Eyre.
23. Although Bertha Manson is a minor character in the novel, she acquires deeper
meanings. Explain how we can interpret her role in the novel.
24. Illustrate why Jane Eyre can be considered a novel which mingles three different
genres.
25. In terms of characterization, Jane Eyre can be considered both a conventional and
unconventional heroine. Give reasons
26. Explain why Janes experiences during her childhood may have conditioned her
behavior as an adult.
27. The figure of Mr. Rochester has been compared to the typical Byronic hero. Give reasons
referring to the passage in which Jan describes her first meeting with Mr. Rochester (T
81)
28. What is the symbolic meaning of the read room? Which is its function in the novel?
29. Illustrate the autobiographical elements which are present in Jane Eyre.
30. Jane Eyre shows a first person narration. Explain the function of this choice , referring
to her description of the third floor ( TEXT 80 )
31. What is the meaning of Janes dream on the night before her wedding?
32. What is the symbolic meaning of the mirror in her description of the nocturnal
apparition?
R.L.STEVENSON THE STRANGE CASE OF DR. JEKYLL & MR. HYDE
33. What are the anxieties of Stevensons age? What were Victorian people secretly
attracted by?What were the aspects of non- Western cultures which Victorian people
feared mostly? How is reputation linked to the Victorian system of values?
34. In the passage T 68 in which Dr. Jekyll, the narrator , describes his first transformation
into Mr. Hyde, we find a mirror. Explain the function of this mirror , comparing it with

Raffaella Mannori @ ORAL TESTS 2015-2016