[Those curious about the history of the Victorian Web (which began before the WWW in another hypermedia environment) might be interested to learn that this document was one of the very first written specifically for what became this site by someone outside Brown University. (The materials on public health that Professor Wohl also contributed came from his previously published book — GPL.]

Both Victorian science (pseudosciences such as phrenology), and popular literature assigned similar characteristics to the Irish, Blacks and members of the lower classes. Both were seen as:

What functions in Victorian thought did such forms of prejudice have? Were these attitudes and prejudices a response to particular identifiable changes in British society?

How do these ideas contrast with those of the Victorian Gentleman?

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Created 1987

New entry added 15 August 2024