Our Victorian Education

This groundbreaking book combines a historical interpretation of Victorian educational debate with a critical overview of contemporary educational thought. Traces the roots of contemporary educational practice in the values of Victorian thinking Combines detailed consideration of Victorian sources, literary and non-literary, with reflections on their legacy in the 21st century Reflects on questions of social class, religion, and gender as the Victorians defined them in relation to educational ideals Suggests challenging connections between literary and social history and contemporary dilemmas

Dinah Birch is a Professor of English Literature at Liverpool University. Her work on Victorian literature includes Ruskin’s Myths (1988), Ruskin on Turner (1990), and John Ruskin: Selected Writings (2004). She writes regularly for the Times Literary Supplement and the London Review of Books, and is General Editor of a forthcoming revised edition of the Oxford Companion to English Literature.