Question

Explain why it is important for readers to understand historical context and provide one example to support your claim?

Answer 1

It is important for readers to undersant historical context because this will give him / her the necessary information to comprehend the events of the narrative. For example, in many stories from Victorian England, young women were obliged to marry rich men. In this way, they would save their families and themselves from poverty. It is essential to know what that time was like in England to comprehend this fact. Women were not economically independent and their lives became visible just through their marriages. They would become Mrs "So and So". Oscar Wilde shows these characteristics through "The Importance of Being Earnest."

Answer 2

Historical context refers to the combination of cultural, sociological, economic and many other factors that surround the conditions in which a piece of literature takes place or the moment it's produced. Understanding all these elements whenever we analyse any story, will help us to interpret the facts way more thoroughly.

For example, when reading about Columbus' trip diaries from his voyage around the world we may find ourselves asking why he decided to carry on such a difficult task. Understanding historical context, will provide a proper answer: Spain needed new routes for trading across India. Knowing the political and economic conditions of Spain at the time, would be crucial in order to better understand the cause-and-effect relations of the events in this story.

Hope this helps!