What is social and historical context?
Looking at social and historical context means looking carefully at what was going on in society and history at the time a text was written. This can help you to understand a book and its characters better.
Authors are often affected by what is going on in the world around them and what they write is shaped by the events and ideas of their time. Authors in the past did this, and modern authors do it too.
Looking at these details can really help you to get a better understanding of a book and why it was written.
Watch: Social and historical context
Watch teacher Miss Williams explain more about what social and historical context is, and how you can apply it to the books you read.
What is social and historical context? Find out about its importance in this Teacher Talk video.
[THEME MUSIC]
[SCHOOL BELL RING]
MS. WILLIAMS: Hello, I am Ms. Williams, and we're going to think about the context of the books we read.
If you really love a book, it can help to find out more about it. Maybe it was written a long time ago, so knowing more about the time it comes from can help you understand it better.
Maybe the way people spoke back then was different. So, finding out how words have changed can be very helpful.
If the book is from long ago or far away, perhaps the customs and behaviour of the people in the story are different from ours. Knowing more about that can help the story come to life.
And maybe knowing a bit more about the authors of our favourite books can help too—especially if you find out how and why they came to write their stories.
We call this kind of information about the book its context.
The information about the time the book comes from? That’s its historical context. Information about the customs and behaviours of the people in the book? That’s its social context. But how do we find all this lovely context? We do some research.
You can:
Look online to find out more about your favourite story.
Use the author's name and the book's title as your search terms.
Look into information books—perhaps books about the time in history or the place in which the story is set.
Make notes about what you find.
I'll show you how.
Put me on pause while you grab a pencil, some paper and a ruler.
One of my favourite stories is "Treasure Island". Pirates, adventure and buried treasure—oh yes, I love a bit of that.
So, I did some research and found some fascinating facts. And I made a chart to write my notes on.
A space to write the book's title and the author's name
Somewhere to make notes about:
Historical context
Words that sound unusual to us today
Social context
The author's life
What my notes show about the book
Want to see the notes I made? Here they come:
Title: Treasure Island
Published: 1883
Author: Robert Louis Stevenson
Historical context: Set in the 1700s. Slow sailing ships. No jet planes.
These things help us understand how alone the twelve-year-old hero Jim feels, and how far away help is when he has sailed to the island.
Unusual words:
"Pieces of eight" = silver coins
"Buccaneer" = pirate
"Spyglass" = telescope
These old-fashioned words help us imagine the world of the story.
Social context:
Children had to work.
No school.
Jim has to look after his mum when his dad dies.
This shows how tough life is for him and how brave he has to be.
Author’s life:
Robert Louis Stevenson got the idea for Treasure Island on a rainy day, when he cheered up his stepson by drawing a map of a mysterious island.
So, he saw the book as a way to escape from dullness and boredom.
Got a favourite book from long ago or far away?
Make a chart like the one I used for your research.
Use a pencil and a ruler.
Make your chart the size of one whole page, so you have plenty of room to write.
Add the headings you see here.
Put me on pause if you need more time.
When you've drawn your chart, you're ready to find out more about the writer and the world of one of your favourite books.
Stand by to discover all that fascinating and amazing social and historical context. It will make you love that story even more.
Happy reading!
For more help, challenges and games on this subject, visit bbc.co.uk/bitesize
Treasure Island
In the video you heard about Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson, which was first published in 1883.
Miss Williams mentioned some unusual, old-fashioned words used in the book, such as buccaneer (which means ‘pirate’) and spyglass (an old word for ‘telescope’).
Identifying words such as these gives us an insight into the world the story is set in and this helps our understanding of its social and historical context. This can all add to our enjoyment of the story.
Now watch this animation clip based on Treasure Island.
As you watch, listen out carefully for other unusual words that the characters say.
Make a note of any you hear that you think we no longer use today.
Narrator: Ah, the beginning.
A quiet English pub by the sea on a perfect, peaceful morning.
The Admiral Benbow Inn looks out across the Bristol Channel.
Jim Hawkins, twelve years old, all but runs it himself.
His father's died. His mother's exhausted.
Jim dreams of adventure, something to take him out of this dull workaday existence, when an old sailor, with a pigtail, a sabre cut on one cheek, and a large mysterious sea-chest, comes looking for lodgings.
Sailor: In the heart of the blue Caribbean…
Jim: Good morning, sir.
Sailor: This be a handy cove. Much company, my young mate?
Jim: Company, sir? No. No, sir.
Sailor: Come here, boy. Closer. D'you see this?
Jim: Yes, sir.
Sailor: There's one of these every month for ye if ye keep a weather-eye open for a sea-faring man with one leg. One leg, ya hear me?
Jim: One leg? I'll keep a look out. Sir?
Sailor: You call me cap'n. Hmm?
Jim: This way, captain.
Sailor: Now lend a hand with this here chest… I'm a plain man. Rum and bacon and eggs is what I want. Mainly rum… Yo ho ho and up she rises, yo ho ho and up she rises…
Narrator: So the mysterious sailor comes to stay.
And Jim keeps his weather eye open.
The weeks pass and then one day another stranger arrives, thin and tall, with his legs intact but with fingers missing.
The stranger's name: Black Dog.
Black Dog tells Jim he has come to see his old ship-mate Billy and talk square… But…
[ARGH]
They're not friends, it seems.
Black Dog : You're a dead man walking!
Sailor: And you're a scurvy dog! Away with ye!
Narrator: Black Dog limps away wounded.
The captain struggles to his feet.
He has the look of a man who has much to fear.
Next day another stranger turns up — a blind beggar.
He slips into the inn and presses a piece of paper into the captain's hand.
Blind beggar: Agghh! Tis the black spot!
Jim: Captain?
Jim’s mother: Jim, Jim. What's happening?
Narrator: But before Jim can find out more, the beggar's gone, and the captain has fallen to the floor, stone cold dead.
Turns out the captain — Billy Bones, his real name — is on the run from his old pirate crew.
They're after something… something he's hidden.
Jim’s mother: Oh Jim, we shouldn't.
Jim: I've searched the room, nothing. Whatever they want must be in here.
Jim’s mother: Oh my! What a fine suit of clothes.
Jim: He would have smelled better if he'd worn them. He did have money!
Jim’s mother: Uh! Didn't pay us a penny, mind. And me just lost your father.
Jim: Take the whole lot — let's be going.
Jim’s mother: No! I'll have my dues and not a farthing over. One, two. Mmm, is that gold?
Narrator: As his mother tries to extract her rent from the bagful of doubloons, guineas, and…
Jim’s mother: Pieces of eight, very nice…
Narrator: Jim finds an old parchment, but before he can look at it… the pirates attack.
Pirates: We're coming for you!
When you have finished watching, think about the words you have written down and what they might mean. Share your ideas with a friend or family member.
Activity 1
1. Look at the list of words you made a note of while you were watching the Treasure Island clip. Did you spot any of the words below? Can you work out or guess what they mean?
Write down a modern definition for them. You can check your answers in a dictionary or online dictionary.
- sabre
- parchment
- doubloons
- pieces of eight
2. Now try writing at least one sentence using each of the words.
For example:
I wrote a letter on a sheet of parchment and signed my name.
Activity 2
The table below is taken from the Teacher Talk video you watched earlier.
Draw this table out and use it to research the social and historical context of a book you know.
Include the title of the book and the author's name in the first column.
This could be a book that was written a long time ago or in a faraway country, or a story that is based in the present or even the future - all books have context!
Look back at the Teacher Talk video in the Learn section if you need a recap on how to fill in the table. Start the video again at 2:00.
You could use the internet to help with your research. Trying using the following things for your search terms, as a starting point:
- the author's name
- the book's title
- the name of the publisher
- the date of the book’s publication
| BOOK DETAILS | CONTEXT | MY NOTES | WHAT MY NOTES SHOW ABOUT THE BOOK |
|---|---|---|---|
| Title: | Historical context | ||
| Unusual words | |||
| Author: | Social context | ||
| Author's life |
Top tip!
Ask an adult for help when searching online so that you can find the information you need most effectively.
Activity 3
Using the notes you made in Activity 2, write a short review of your book.
In your review you should explain to someone else how life was different in the time the book was set or written, compared with now.
Include any information you found out about:
- the historical context of the book
- any unusual words used in the book (and their modern meanings if it is a book that was set a long time ago)
- the social context of the book
- interesting details about the author’s life
- how these things compare with life today
Aim to write at least two sentences for each point.
Use phrases like these in your review to help you structure your writing:
- In the past…
- At that time…
- During that period…
- Nowadays…
- In the modern world…
- Compared with today…
Play our fun English game Crystal Explorers! game
Use grammar, punctuation and spelling skills to explore jungles, caves and tombs on your mission.
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