See below for Brian Do's blog posting responding to the exhibition "Game Changer: The Evolution of Nineteenth Century Sports" on display at the Clough Undergraduate Learning Commons at Georgia Tech for the Interdisciplinary Nineteenth-Century Studies Conference. Sports as a Catalyst for Social Progress Sports have long held the public imagination of societies around the world, but although, at their core, they serve as mere diversions to past the time, their influence has also allowed them to change the times. This theme resonates throughout the exhibit “Moving Bodies: Nineteenth Century Sports.” From its artifacts, pictures, and textual descriptions, the exhibit creates a multimodal setting in which it immerses the viewer in the world of nineteenth century sports. This is apparent in the Cycling showcase, particularly the section on cycling and women: Throughout the nineteenth century, and in particular, the mid-Victorian Era, physical activity was regarded as unwomanly. In “A Lady Must Not Work,” Margaretta Grey, a progressive reformer of the Victorian Era states “there has sprung up among us a spurious refinement, that cramps the energy… of women in the upper classes of society” (Murray). These “refinements” and other social institutions largely prevented women from engaging in the professional sports of the era. However, bicycling allowed women to push back against these restricting social norms. Bicycling was an area where women could participate with far less criticism than in other sports, such as wrestling or football. By the end of the century, an “increasing number of women became advocates for bicycling.” Such small forays into previously forbidden territory allowed women to create a beachhead for future advancements into previously male domains, strengthening the feminist movement by serving as a symbol of the emancipated women. The exhibit clearly illustrates this with the following quote from Susan B. Anthony: The integration of such bold quotes allows the viewer to easily see the main points of the importance of the bicycle, and the use of color further enhances this aspect by providing a sharp contrast with the black and white text and photographs the characterize the rest of the exhibit. Sports served as a catalyst for the emancipation of women during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The bicycle served as a metaphor for women’s mastery of their own lives, as now, they no longer had to depend on men for transportation (Zheulin). Bicycling also necessitated more practical dress for women, as seen here: The inclusion of a photograph allows for a much more succinct exhibit, and provides a level of detail that would otherwise be difficult to express in words, especially in such a limited exhibition space.
“The story of women’s collective effort to redefine the boundaries and potentialities of the womanly life” (Murray) was one of the main stories of women in the nineteenth century, and the bicycle serves as an important chapter in that story. Women were now no longer play things or items to simply view, but physically active and independent members of society. The bicycle served as an icon which galvanized support for the fledgling feminist movements in Europe and the United States, and it symbolizes the impact of sports on society. Although the names of these individual women may be lost to history, their impact to society is perhaps just as profound as Oscar Wilde, George Eliot, and Robert Livingstone. Works Cited Moving Bodies: Nineteenth Century Sports. Georgia Tech Clough Gallery Space, n.d. Web. 18 Apr. 2015. Murray, Janet. Strong Minded Women & Other Lost Voices Form 19th Century England. Pantheon, 1982. Zheulin, Peter. “Women on Wheels: The Bicycle and the Women’s Movement of the 1890s.” Bicycle and the Women’s Suffragette Movement of the 1890s. Annie Londenderry, 2006. Web. 17 Apr. 2015. <http://www.annielondonderry.com/womenWheels.html>
See below for students' second projects, e-books annotating and illustrating two pages of from a chapter of Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray.
Chapter 1
This e-book is available here
Chapter 2
This e-book is available here.
Chapter 4
This e-book is available here.
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Made with iBooks Author.
Chapter 11
Chapter 14
Chapter 20
This e-book is available here Assignment:
Working in groups, you will make a Prezi reflecting the arguments of your article or text. First discuss your article and how it works. What passages does it analyze? How does it address art? You can include images or video clips. Remember to quote, paraphrase, and cite appropriately. If time allows, each group will present its Prezi to the class and address the arguments it makes. Group 1: Michael Patrick Gillespie, "Picturing Dorian Gray: Resistant Readings in Wilde's Novel" first half Group 2: Gillespie second half Group 3: Donald L. Lawler, "Oscar Wilde's First Manuscript of The Picture of Dorian Gray" Group 4: Jonathan Goldman, ch. 1 from Modernism is the Literature of Celebrity first half Group 5: Goldman second half Assignment: Working in your project groups, investigate one of the Yellow Books. Present to the class elements of its contents, design, aesthetic choices, and relationship to the ideas in at least one quotation from The Picture of Dorian Gray and other artists and texts we have discussed. Assignment:
Using Google’s Custom Maps , create an annotated map of Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray. Return to your text, finding locations in the novel. You can divide the chapters among your group members. Share your map with the instructor. You can also compare Dorian's landscape to that of other characters and novels by using the Mapping Literary London site. Revisit Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and add and distinguish Wilde’s locations from Stevenson’s. Doing a bit of research, also add the location of William Morris and Edward Burne-Jones’s apartment in Red Lion Square. How do these locations alter your sense of London and each of the texts? How has your interpretation of moments in Wilde’s novel changed as a result of seeing the locations using Google Earth and mapping the sequence of events? You can include these observations in your annotations on the map. Assignment:
Working in groups, review Imogen Hart’s “The Designs of William Morris” from The Cambridge Companion to the Pre-Raphaelites and Elizabeth Miller’s introduction to Slow Print. Using the William Morris Archive and online images (make sure they are authentic) of Morris's designs for wallpaper and typography, create a decorated version of 10-20 lines of “Goblin Market” or “The Lady of Shalott.” You could use a word document or google document to combine text and images, or another format. Remember to acknowledge your sources. When you are finished, you will share your document with the class and introduce your rationale behind your choices. |
English 1102: Victorian Technology and ArtSpring 2015 CategoriesArchives |