Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

The Princess and the Goblin was written during the Victorian era in England, which lasted from 1837-1901. What do you know about this time period? Consider the ways in which adults and children lived, the beliefs they might have had, the types of jobs common at this time, and anything else you might know about this era.

Teaching Suggestion: The links below can bolster in-class discussion or serve as supplementary material. However, students may have some ideas about life during this time period prior to doing any background reading based on their familiarity with American history; it may be worth reminding students that England relied heavily on coal and had a monarchy and deeply stratified class system at the time.

• “Social Class”: a brief article describing social class as it existed (and evolved) in Victorian England
• “Victorian London Photo Gallery”: a collection of photographs from the 1800s that provide a visual image of the era

Short Activity

One of the themes of The Princess and the Goblin is What It Means to Be a Princess.