Orlando Lesson Plan

Why do you think the 19th century is characterized by dark, damp weather and gloominess? How does this weather interact with the rest of the narrative?

On a more literal level, the 19th century marks the peak of the industrial revolution, which we know made London extremely smoggy and dirty. If we think about popular literature from this era--Dickens, mainly--we associate it with poverty and the run-down. Figuratively, though, the heavy, dark weather in London represents the oppressiveness of the Victorian era to Orlando as a woman, specifically. Suddenly, Orlando starts to worry about not looking feminine enough and not being married, which were not concerns she had in...