21/9/22, 12:51 The Importance of Historic Context in Analysis and Interpretation - Actively Learn

The Importance of Historic Context in Analysis and Interpretation

Text by Grace Fleming Posted with permission

Updated: June 22, 2021

ASSIGNMENT DIRECTIONS

As you read, ask yourself: why is it necessary to understand

the historical context of the texts we read?

QUESTION 1 (POLL)

Do you like reading older pieces of literature?

yes

no

unsure

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21/9/22, 12:51 The Importance of Historic Context in Analysis and Interpretation - Actively Learn

The Importance of Historic Context in

Analysis and Interpretation
1 Historical context is an important part of life and literature,
and without it, memories, stories, and characters have less
meaning. Historical context deals with the details that surround
an occurrence. In more technical terms, historical context
refers to the social, religious, economic, and political conditions
that existed during a certain time and place. Basically, it's all
the details of the time and place in which a situation occurs,
and those details are what enable us to interpret and analyze
works or events of the past, or even the future, rather than
merely judge them by contemporary standards.

2 In literature, a strong understanding of the historical context

behind a work's creation can give us a better understanding of
and appreciation for the narrative. In analyzing historical
events, context can help us understand what motivates people
to behave as they did.

3 Put another way, context is what gives meaning to the details.

It's important, however, that you don't confuse context with
cause. Cause is the action that creates an outcome; context is
the environment in which that action and outcome occur.

Words and Deeds

4 Whether dealing with fact or fiction, historical context is

important when interpreting behavior and speech. Consider the
following sentence which, devoid of context, sounds innocent
enough:

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21/9/22, 12:51 The Importance of Historic Context in Analysis and Interpretation - Actively Learn

5 "Sally hid her hands behind her back and crossed her fingers
before she answered."

Have you ever crossed your fingers behind your back? Source:
Wikimedia Commons/Mjt16

6 But imagine that this statement comes from a transcript of

court documents in Salem, Mass., in 1692, during the famed 1
Salem Witch Trials. Religious fervor was at an extreme, and
villagers were nearly obsessed with the devil and witchcraft.
At that time, if a young woman were to tell a lie, it was
fodder for hysteria and a violent reaction. A reader would
assume that poor Sally was a candidate for the gallows.2

7 Now, imagine you're reading a letter from a mother that

contains this sentence:

8 "My daughter will be heading to California shortly after she

marries."

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9 How much information does this statement give us? Not much,
until we consider when it was written. Should we discover that
the letter was written in 1849, we will realize that one
sentence can sometimes say a lot. A young woman heading
for California in 1849 might be following her husband on a
treacherous treasure-seeking expedition for the gold rush. This
mother would probably be quite fearful for her child, and she
would know that it would be a very long time before she'd
see her daughter again, if ever.

QUESTION 2 DOK 2 5 points

What is ONE thing historical context brings to a text?

Historical context implies plot tension.

Historical context conveys innocence to every historic text.

Historical context brings additional meaning to the text.

Historical context allows readers to judge stories by

contemporary standards.

Historical Context in Literature

10 No work of literature can be fully appreciated or understood

without historical context. What may seem nonsensical or even
offensive to contemporary sensibilities, might actually be
interpreted in a completely different manner by considering the
era it is from.

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11 A good example is Mark Twain's 3Adventures of Huckleberry

Finn, published in 1885. It is considered an enduring work of
American literature and a biting social satire. But it is also
criticized by modern critics for its casual use of a racial
epithet4 to describe Huck's friend Jim, an escaped slave. Such
language is shocking and offensive to many readers today, but
in the context of the day, it was the commonplace language
for many.

12 Back in the mid-1880s, when attitudes toward the newly

liberated African-American slaves were often indifferent at
best and hostile at worst, the casual use of such racial
epithets wouldn't have been considered unusual. In fact, what
is actually more surprising, given the historical context of
when the novel was written, is Huck's treating Jim not as his
inferior but as his equal—something rarely portrayed in the
literature of the time.

13 Similarly, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein cannot be fully

appreciated by a reader who is unaware of the Romantic
movement that took place in art and literature in the early
19th century. It was a time of rapid social and political
upheaval in Europe when lives were transformed by the
technological disruptions of the Industrial Age.

14 The Romantics captured the public's sense of isolation and

fear that many experienced as a result of these social
changes. Frankenstein becomes more than a good monster
story, it becomes an allegory for how technology can destroy
us.

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21/9/22, 12:51 The Importance of Historic Context in Analysis and Interpretation - Actively Learn

Dr. Frankenstein brings his monster to life in the 1931 film adaptation
of Frankenstein. Source: flickr/Insomnia Cured Here.

QUESTION 3 DOK 2 5 points

How does the historical context of Mark Twain's Adventures of

Huckleberry Finn change our modern-day understanding of the
story?

Readers gain a better understanding of the relationship

between Huck and Jim.

The time of rapid social and political upheaval in Europe

allows readers to understand the setting better.

Because villagers were nearly obsessed with the devil and

witchcraft, the reader feels the tension and stress more
accurately.

We learn that some language was inappropriate even back

then.

Other Uses of Historical Context

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15 Scholars and educators rely on historical context to analyze

and interpret works of art, literature, music, dance, and
poetry. Architects and builders rely on it when designing new
structures and restoring existing buildings. Judges may use it to
interpret the law, historians to understand the past. Any time
critical analysis is required, you may need to consider
historical context as well.

16 Without historical context, we are only seeing a piece of the

scene and not fully understanding the influence of the time
and place in which a situation occurred.

QUESTION 4 DOK 3 10 points

Why is it necessary to understand the historical context of texts

we read? Use at least THREE examples from the text to support
your answer.

It is necessary to understand historical context because we can understand the

economic, social and historical things that happened. In this case in the story
they were in the 1900s so we can understand better how do they were doing
and what was going on

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Notes

MS. PAULS HERNANDEZ

1
The Salem Witch Trials of 1692 were a dark time in American history.
More than 200 people were accused of practicing witchcraft, and 20 were
killed during the hysteria.

MS. PAULS HERNANDEZ

2
the place a criminal who has been sentenced to death is killed by being
hanged

MS. PAULS HERNANDEZ

3
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

MS. PAULS HERNANDEZ

4
word used to describe someone

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