Which Victorian novel used the setting of 'Coketown' to criticize the dehumanizing effects of Utilitarianism and the industrial education system?
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: Hard Times
Dickens's 'Hard Times' attacks the philosophy of 'Fact' championed by characters like Thomas Gradgrind. The novel suggests that a society focused solely on measurable utility ignores the essential human need for 'Fancy' and imagination.
Keep practicing
More Social Reform Themes questions
- Benjamin Disraeli’s novel 'Sybil' is famous for introducing which influential socio-political concept?
- The 'Governess Novel' often addressed social reform by highlighting:
- Charles Kingsley’s 'Alton Locke' is a notable example of a novel supporting which reformist group?
- In 'North and South' by Elizabeth Gaskell, the reformist dialogue is primarily facilitated through the perspective of Margaret Hale, who mo…
- Dickens’s 'Bleak House' targeted the reform of which specific British institution?
- The term 'Blue Books' refers to which historical element that influenced Victorian social reform writers?