Over the entire semester the class has held discussions over different ideas and meanings in regards to female depictions of the Victorian Era. Different authors and painters of the Victorian Era have documented the many deviations of women through writings and illustrations; however, the major successes of women throughout the period have been discounted or otherwise gone unnoticed. I have constructed a homework assignment that requires students to do a little research on any woman of the Victorian Era who was acknowledged for anything besides being feeble-minded or rebellious according to a societal perspective. Discussions have revolved around plenty of negative chronologies of women. Essentially, we must also focus on female revolutionaries, after all; these women have also made huge contributions to the Victorian Era and many more eras to come.
Students will research female revolutionaries that helped to alter societal perceptions of women. Students are then required to create a small blog of at least 100 words describing in detail of a specific female contributor. These female contributors will be further discussed in class to better educate one another. The female revolutionaries will be compared with today’s female contributors. Even the most rebellious means of success can be written about. Male artists, kings, prophets, gamblers, etc. have all been granted recognition, in spite of the grief that may have affected those around them. Students may inquire about female gamblers, writers, or even prostitutes that may have reformed the profession in any way. The point of this particular assignment is for students to link the past to the present. As the instructor of this lesson, I want students to understand the ways in which women were able to make a status for themselves or how they gotten to where they are now.
