The Illustrated London News, June 18, 1853

¶ 1 Leave a comment on paragraph 1 0 Introduction

¶ 2 Leave a comment on paragraph 2 0 The June 1853 edition of The Illustrated London News is a snapshot of not only everything that was taking place in London’s society during this time, but also the world. This piece of literature ultimately provides readers a glimpse into the minds of the audience of Charles Dickens. It details Parliament’s discussions about the very likely possibility of going to war under Queen Victoria, as well as provides descriptions of camp life for the soldiers at Camp Chobham. There are notations of prices for entertainment, sports news, and notions that people were no longer as supportive of the Church of England as they once were. The events detailed in The Illustrated London News can reshape analyses of Dickens’s Bleak House by adding depth and nuance to not only what the intended audience was experiencing, but the events that Dickens himself witnessed while finishing and publishing the novel. Reading the June 1853 edition of The Illustrated London News provides readers of Charles Dickens’s Bleak House with political, religious and social contexts for the novel.

¶ 3 Leave a comment on paragraph 3 0 The Illustrated London News contains a detailed documentation of the popular ongoings of London and its surrounding locales. From the ceremonies at the University of Oxford to the most current royal news, this weekly publication has both illustrations and documentations of it all. It is important to mention that this publication was authored during the reign of Queen Victoria, on the eve of the Crimean War. There are also details of Parliament discussions current to the early summer, as well as recent sports news. Arguably the most important from a historical context, there are details of the preparation for military campaigns, spearheaded by Prince Albert at Camp Chobham. The purpose of this information is to; one, provide editorial commentary on the current ongoings within the kingdom, and two, to document as much detail as possible about the occurrences of these exclusive events.

¶ 4 Leave a comment on paragraph 4 0 In 1853, London was a part of the world where religion and its place in everyday society was beginning to see a revolutionary change. Previous to the mid-nineteenth century, political reign in Great Britain coincided with the Church of England and therefore church and state were not  separate. While separation of church and state is a value that Great Britain has never upheld politically, the government officials of this period in time saw that society was beginning to sway from this tradition. For generations, royal reign had been predominantly Catholic and many of the citizens of England remained true to the Catholic faith; however, in the mid-nineteenth century change began. In 1851 a religious census was taken in Great Britain and revealed that many no longer supported the Church of England and ultimately found that a census based on religion was equivocal in its findings, and therefore became obsolete (Field, 6). Within the 1853 June edition of The Illustrated London News, religion is discussed in quite a wide scope. In this time Christianity and primarily Catholicism still reigned supreme in most of Great Britain as during this time Bishops were assigned to different districts throughout Oxford; however, a large portion of Great Britain’s citizens found comfort in other sects of Christianity such as Protestantism. In nineteenth century Victorian London, many individuals also began to develop spiritualist mindsets and values; and ultimately, many began to accept the supernatural and paranormal rather than condemning it as this society and many others around the world had done in the past. This edition of The Illustrated London News can primarily be read in a context based on Christianity and it’s long lasting, ever-pervading religious scope.

¶ 5 Leave a comment on paragraph 5 0  On another note, The Illustrated London News delves into grave detail about each loving opera or play taking place in London in the mid-1800s. Talks of ticket prices, timing, and the themes of each event brings this London newspaper to life in these interactive gatherings with stories being sung and told of the past. It is also important to mention that a lot of public events during this time took place inside, due to the current situation of the concerns over air quality surrounding the population. During the mid-19th century, the Great Stink plagued London, causing people to not be able to socialize nearly as often as they were used to.  The increase of play times and cost, as shown throughout The Illustrated London News, displays the alternatives and increase in event count during these difficult times. A main cause of the Great Stink was that London grew in population the most during the 19th century, causing overpopulation to plague the city. This newspaper not only kept the population entertained, but hid a vast majority of the issues that were arising during that time period from the public eye.

¶ 6 Leave a comment on paragraph 6 0 The Illustrated London News is a unique, yet advantageous tool for examining Charles Dickens’ Bleak House as it provides readers with an intimate look into citizen’s day-to-day activities, as well as the complex societal problems they were facing outside of these events. By digging into the context surrounding the events, readers are able to connect symbols and themes of Bleak House to the experiences of the common people of 1853 England and cultivate a deeper understanding of both Dickens and the work he produced.

¶ 7 Leave a comment on paragraph 7 0 Work Cited:

¶ 8 Leave a comment on paragraph 8 0 Field, Clive. “Religious Statistics in Great Britain: An Historical Introduction.” Development-of-Religious-Statistics.pdf, 2009, www.brin.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/development-of-religious-statistics.pdf.