"Understanding The Way They Lived Then"

A wiki created by ENG 330-003: The Way We Live Now, Fall 2014, University of Kentucky

The Way We Live Now

(1875)

Anthony Trollope

Welcome!

This wiki was created by Professor Ellen Rosenman's ENG 330: Text and Context class on Anthony Trollope's novel The Way We Live Now (spring 2015,  University of Kentucky). Using primary sources from the Victorian period, students wrote essays about some of the cultural, economic, and political issues that shape the novel such as the Stock Exchange, domestic violence, broken engagements, and attitudes toward Jews. These essays are linked to the text of the novel at relevant points, marked with an  £. Click the words in blue to link to the essay. We hope these essays will help you understand the rich context of Trollope's novel.

If you would like to read the essays separately, click the links at the end of the list of chapters in the sidebar, located on the right-hand side of this page.

     She Was True to her Children - Mother and Sibling Relationships (or why Mrs. C favors Felix so much) (Heather Chapman)

     Paul Montague - Victorian Masculinity (Meghan Shearer)

     The Attractiveness of Such a Prospectus - investment and speculation (Brooke Dobbs)

     The Man Was an Absolute Jew - Victorian attitudes toward Jews (Venecia Proctor)

     Broken Engagements -(Tiana Sheehan)

     After All, What Was Wanted from Mr. Melmotte - the Stock Exchange (Ellen Gaines)

     Mrs. Hurtle - Victorian attitudes toward American women (Abby Essinger)

     That Cutting Her Up in Pieces - Domestic Violence (Melissa Scott)

     Miss Melmotte Has Got a Mind of Her Own - women's rights (Mandy Campbell)

     If You Meant to Marry Her - Victorian ideas about marriage (Jamie Kennedy and Lauren Jane)

     Defining Gender Roles (Shawn Barber)

     Between You and Marie - money and marriage (Claire Johnson)

     Felo de Se - suicide (Taylor Kline)

     She Had Learned from Novels - novels as moral and romantic guides (Jenny Winstead)

     The Expectations of Women (Rachel Brown)

We have also included several bonus features: final projects in which students re-imagined or reflected on the novel. These projects appear on the sidebar after the essays. Here's the line-up:

     Paul or Roger: Take a quiz to decide which man you would choose as the more suitable husband for Hetta.

          (Heather Chapman and Melissa Scott)

     Keeping Up with The Way It Literally Is Now: TWWLN meets the Kardashians! (Claire Johnson, Jamie Kennedy, Lauren Jane) 

          Powerpoint: an introduction -- what's the idea?

          Video: Trollope's characters in their modern Kardashian form

          Felix and Marie: a  look at this relationship, Kardashian style

     Mrs.  Hurtle's Fate: a one-act play based on a scene from the novel (Jenny Winstead, Brooke Dobbs, Taylor Kline)

          Mrs. Hurtle's Fate powerpoint: the conception, setting, and characters for the play

     Fan Fiction: TWWLN as a hard-boiled, noir story set in New York City in 1929 (Meghan Shearer, Tiana Sheehan, Rachel Brown)

         Fan Fiction: background and cast

     TWWLN - The Movie: a modern movies version, including cast and settings (Ellen Gaines, Many Campbell, Abby Essinger)

     Augustus Melmotte: An examination of how the mini-series based on the novel portrays and interprets Melmotte (Venecia Proctor, Shawn                 Barber)

If you have any comments or questions about this wiki, contact Professor Rosenman at ellen.rosenman@uky.edu.

Enjoy!

Shawn Barber, Rachel Brown, Mandy Campbell, Heather Chapman, Brooke Dobbs, Abby Essinger, Ellen Gaines, Lauren Jane, Claire Johnson, Jamie Kennedy, Taylor Kline, Venecia Proctor, Melissa Scott, Meghan Shearer, Tiana Sheehan, Jenny Winstead.

http://www.antiquaprintgallery.com/london-oxford-street-busy-scene-old-vintage-view-1875-135300-p.asp