The Press in GB
-> first newspaper 1785: the TIMES
-> offices are traditionally located in Fleet Street, London
Quality papers = broadsheets
-> larger format
-> Times, Daily Telegraph, Guardian, Independent
Popular papers
-> directed towards a mass readership
-> rely on eye-catching layouts, sensational headlines, articles that can be read easily
-> tabloids, e.g. Sun, Daily Mirror, Daily Sun
Sunday papers
-> very influential
-> quality Sunday papers
-> popular Sunday papers
The Press in the US
-> very few national papers -> Wall Street Journal, USA Today
-> regional newspapers dominate the market -> New York Times, Washington Post
-> no distinction between popular and quality papers
-> news magazines = most important national print media -> TIME, Newsweek
The Media
In the 20th century (newspaper)
TV as one of the most important inventions
-> source of news & information
-> entertainment: dramas/ soaps/ sitcoms
Changing face of the media:
creates opportunities to become actively involved => user generation
-> social media (posts, stories)
Advertising:
special costumised advertisements through social media
Covert advertising
-> Infotisement: seems to be written by experts; provides readers with news and infos
-> Advertainment: combines entertainment e.g. short films
Social media & politics
important as a forum for politics and political activism
-> politicians can reach younger voters
-> find out how people respond to ideas
People can draw attention to politically charged situations
-> share stories of non-democratic processes when journalists are banned e.g. in Iran
Analysing of ads:
Organisation/ brand; Arrangement of elements; What is the viewer’s eye drawn to; Picture and text; Similarity between text and logo; What kind of shot is used; Color; How is white space used; Language; Message of the add; Target group
Oscar Wilde - The Importance of Being Earnest
Historical Context
-> Victorian Britain (1837-1901)
ruled by Queen Victoria (conservative)
Traditions, values, puratism and prudery were very important
Society was splitted: The Aristochratics, aspiring bourgeoisie, under class
Developments: Industrial Revolution, Charles Darwin - theory of evolution, Charles Dickens - critisized society and life
Stylistic devices
Comedy of manners:
amusement created through current fads
Presentation of recognized social types -> nouveau riche, gossip, social climber, …
Pleasure for the audience derives from the wit & sparkle of the dialogue and portrayed habits
suggests better modes of behavior
Parallelism:
between 2 persons
Algernon & Jack: alter egos + want to get away from their responsibilities
Gwendolyn & Cecily: in love with the name Earnest, keep diaries
=> ideas are repeated/ reused at various stages -> persons could be swapped
Elegant inversion:
in the Victorian world the society was made up of binary divisions -> control of class/ moral/ society
-> Public sphere (politics/ government, domain of men) vs. Private sphere (home, domain of women)
-> clear distinction between good/ bad and moral/ immoral
=> Oscar Wilde challenges these binary divisions
how?
-> by turning things completely on their heads
Effect?
-> Oscar Wilde subverts Victorian binary opposition
Drama
-> 19th century
-> critisized society
-> 3-act-play
Charles Dickens - Oliver Twist
Themes and motifs
Poor laws = came into affect in 1834 and were meant to keep the country’s social spending as low as possible; it was supposed to show the world that the country cares for the poor; people had in reality the option to starve slowly in the workhouse or quickly outside
One sidedness of the legal system = in favor of higher class; lower classes opinions were less recognized and they were quickly seen as criminals; poor and rich were differently treated in court
Child labor = linked to poverty -> resulted in the fact that children had to work at young age to help their family; many children at Victorian Age were affected; hard and dangerous circumstances
Money and materialism
Charity and love
Courage and cowardice
Best and worst shades of our common nature
Woman as nurturer
Hypocrisy
Charles Dickens
lived from 1812 to 1870 (time of the Industrial Revolution)
Victorian writer
Born in a poor family -> had to work to help his family at the age of 11
Got a job as a stenographer at the age of 15, later on he began to publish newspaper articles
First well-known work in 1836 (Oliver Twist 1837)
Achieved social and financial breakthrough
Managed to restructure the society in parts
With ongoing age he withdrew from the “disgusting” world and died of an attack of weakness in 1870
Oliver Twist
published in 1837 by Charles Dickens
Oliver Twist, an orphan boy, grows up in a workhouse
There he is very soon thrown out and goes alone to London
In London he is taken in by the man Fagin, Oliver has to steal for him
One day the police catches him, but the man Mr. Brownlow rescues him and takes him to house
Fagin gets angry and kidnaps Oliver
During the ongoing plot, Oliver has to live through many more misfortunes
In the end, it turns out that he has inherited a lot of money
With Mr. Brownlow’s help, he can leave Fagin, gets the money and lives with Mr. Brownlow
Historical context
Industrial Revolution
began in the second half of the 18th century
Positive aspects: brought up important inventions, large industrial cities the economy boomed, textilste were produced faster and cheaper
Housing conditions: people were living in insufficient space, population density grew -> increasing poor hygiene & falling life expectancy
Working conditions: poor payment, overwork, exhaustion, lack of qualifications, accidents, shortened lives, no insurances
Child labor: dangerous tasks, higher in demand -> cheaper, became ill -> no hope for a better future
Last changeda year ago