Context and period study

What you'll learn

1. 1

   Imagine you're reading a letter from 1914 — it's written in old-fashioned English, mentions 'the Great War', and talks about horses and candles.

2. 2

   Which of these is an example of historical context?

3. 3

   Let's look at a line from 'A Christmas Carol' by Charles Dickens (1843): 'Scrooge! a squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner!'

4. 4

   Drag the context clues to match them with the right historical period.

5. 5

   A poem written in 1945 mentions 'atomic shadows' and 'rubble'. What context is most important?

6. 6

   Context isn't just history — it's also the writer's own life. Shakespeare wrote 'Hamlet' just after his own son died. That loss bleeds into the play's sadness.

7. 7

   Why might a writer's personal life matter for understanding their book?