A time when social problems gained widespread attention through being depicted in novels and the government responded
Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens, a leading writer of the Victorian era, is a novel that critically portrayed the New Poor Law enacted in 1834. The work was serialized in a monthly magazine starting 1837 and published as a book in 1838.
At that time in Britain, the New Poor Law banned outdoor relief, forcing those who had become poor without work to enter a workhouse. However, the environment inside these workhouses was deplorable. Conditions were far from humane. Residents were subjected to minimal food and meaningless labor. This led to opposition movements, centered around The Times, the world’s oldest daily newspaper.
It was in the context of such protests that Oliver Twist was written. By portraying how Oliver, who was born and raised in a workhouse, encountered various hardships, the novel exposed the cruelty of the workhouse to the world in a way that was even more accessible than The Times. This helped enhance the opposition movement, and in 1847, the Poor Law Commissioners, who held significant power, were pushed toward abolition. This led to reforms in the administration of workhouses.
His next work Nicholas Nickleby, published in 1839, was based on an actual boarding school in Yorkshire. Yorkshire, remotely located in northern England, had many boarding schools where children from large cities like London were sent by their parents, who wanted to get rid of them. Outraged by this, Dickens conducted field research himself and depicted the inhumane school management under a heinous principal. The school that served as the model for the novel was not able to attract students anymore and was forced to close.
Another example, besides Dickens, was a female writer called Elizabeth Gaskell, who published Mary Barton in 1848, which portrayed the lives of the poor in Manchester. On the streets of Manchester, stores catering to the middle class stood along the border of slum areas. Although the affluent people were passing nearby, they did not see the poor at all. As Elizabeth Gaskell, the wife of a pastor, was engaged in charitable activities, such as delivering food to the poor, she was familiar with their lives. Thus, she tried to change society by depicting the life of the poor in her work.
In the 19th century, novels were the only medium available aside from newspapers. Since there was no television, it was through portrayal in novels that the situation became widely known. Today, novels are only perceived as entertainment or fiction, but at that time, taking up as a novel could have a powerful impact. Thus, many writers wrote novels with such intention.
Nightingale, the Angel of the Crimea, was a heroine shaped by the newspaper
Just like Oliver Twist, which was triggered by newspapers, at that time, newspapers had a large influence on society and were sometimes referred to as the fourth estate, or the fourth power, following the aristocrats, the clergy, and citizens. Among them, the impact of The Times was huge, which is unimaginable these days, having a circulation of 60 thousand copies in 1855. The newspaper published more copies than the aggregated number of other major newspapers in London and had overwhelming public support.
The Times valued hearing people’s voices, and through this it tried to solve societal problems. When someone raised a question in the ‘letter to the Editor’, other people would also share their opinions, one after another, and the lively discussion in the paper would also be put together in the editorial by the editor-in-chief. Unlike parliamentary sessions in a fixed period, newspapers were published every day. As a result, they became not only sources of new information to be conveyed but also a platform for developing discussions ahead of Parliament.
The Times was also the first newspaper to dispatch a war correspondent. The first coverage was on the Crimean War, which broke out in October 1853. Before that, people had no way of knowing what was happening in distant wars, but the correspondents accompanied the military force and conveyed the situation at the front. Thanks to the invention of the telegraph, information that used to take many weeks and months to arrive could be transmitted instantly.
Hospitals in the field had poor hygiene management and lacked human resources and supplies. Thus, injured soldiers were dying without being treated. Such situation was reported by war correspondents. This triggered a wave of nationwide accusatory voices against the government. In response, a nursing team led by Florence Nightingale was sent to the Crimean War. Even though there were reports almost every day and public sentiment was rising, it is surprising that in only 10 days or so after the first report on hospitals was in the newspaper the nursing team departed the UK.
Nightingale headed toward the field, feeling herself the need to do so due to the impact of newspapers. As various newspapers romanticized her in the reports, she became widely celebrated. Nightingale, who is known as “the Angel of the Crimea” or “the Lady with the Lamp,” was also a heroine created by newspapers.
Moreover, initially, the Crimean War was optimistically expected to be over by Christmas. Therefore, during the severely cold winter, many losses were suffered, such as soldiers from southern colonies who had to fight without proper winter clothing becoming ill and passing away. Newspaper reports on these incidents intensified criticism against the government, and in January 1855, the Prime Minister was forced to step down. The Victorian era marked the beginning of a time when public voices were heard and public opinion was created, causing societal change.
The ability to discern truth from falsehood of information can be cultivated through increased imaginative power by reading novels
Today, we live in an era of diverse media, where anyone can easily disseminate information. As a result, the power of each medium is diminishing, and the role and position of mass media seem to be changing. In the U.S. presidential election, while major newspapers indicated support for Kamala Harris and predicted a close race, it turned out to be a landslide victory for Donald Trump. Similarly, in Japan’s Hyogo gubernatorial election, Saito’s victory is said to have been due to his effective use of social media. These cases reflect the current state of media well.
At the same time, unfortunately, as AI rapidly advances, misinformation or so-called fake news is rampant nowadays. We frequently see a situation where fake videos, images, and sounds that are indistinguishable from real ones are posted on the Internet and being spread via social media.
Unlike in the past, there are currently overwhelming amounts of accessible information, making it extremely difficult to discern what is true and what is false. However, precisely because of this, we need to be fully equipped with the ability to judge authenticity and discern truth from falsehood. I believe this ability can be cultivated by strengthening our imagination, and reading novels is a perfect way of training for this. Novels depict all sorts of eras and situations. If we relive the process of answering a question with the protagonist, our imaginative abilities will be sharpened, and we will also gain the opportunity to reflect on how we ourselves relate to society.
Nowadays, among younger generations, fewer people are reading novels. I have heard that as they are used to accepting answers that are already given without thinking for themselves, they feel frustrated to finish reading novels without clear answers. However, in this convenient time of accelerating technological innovation and informatization, it is the recipients of information whose abilities are being tested. Please learn and gain the ability to reflect on the essence of the problem from novels.
* The information contained herein is current as of November 2024.
* The contents of articles on Meiji.net are based on the personal ideas and opinions of the author and do not indicate the official opinion of Meiji University.
* I work to achieve SDGs related to the educational and research themes that I am currently engaged in.
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