This enquiry focuses on an area of industrial life that is often neglected, in favour of the larger narratives of change and progress. It focuses on popular amusement, and the impact of the new entertainment form offered by music halls.
Here you will use music hall entertainment as a ‘way in’ to discussing gender and women’s roles, exploring the extent of threat posed by music hall performers to traditional conceptions of womanhood.
Students are given insight into the Victorian leisure industry, but also develop a deeper understanding of the ways in which women’s roles and expectations were changing during this pivotal moment in history.
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- Lesson presentation: PowerPoint
- Lesson write-up: PDF
- Resource 1a-f: PDF
- Worksheet 1: PDF
