The image of the teacher in a selection of Victorian novels

Abstract

This dissertation deals with the Victorian teacher as he is portrayed by Dickens and other Victorian novelists. It differentiates between the public school teacher and the private school teacher, because they do not develop together. The Victorian teacher is evaluated according to the contemporary principles of education, but contemporaneously, he is also compared with the modern teacher. Comparison is also drawn between the Victorian public and private school teacher. Moreover, the late Victorian teacher is also evaluated vis-a-vis the early Victorian teacher. The conclusion is that the Victorian teacher improves a great deal throughout the Victorian era and can be deservedly called the precursor of the modern teacher. Finally this dissertation aims to provide the modern student-teacher with the chance of comparing the traditional and modern image of the teacher, with the hope that he will get useful hints for his future career as a modern teacher.