Meet the Victorians
This course will begin with a lecture offering a portrait of the age, to be followed by four talks on eminent mid-Victorians: Bagehot, Arnold, Ruskin and Eliot.
Meet the Victorians is a new initiative, led by established Settlement tutor, Michael Williams where learners will be encouraged to read relevant material before and after class. The sessions will balance group discussion and tutor-led delivery and will incorporate video clips and other material.
Key publications, in week-by-week order, are as follows:
• Walter Bagehot, The English Constitution
• Matthew Arnold, Culture and Anarchy
• John Ruskin, Unto this Last
• John Stuart Mill, On Liberty
• Samuel Butler, The Way of All Flesh
Event Information
Price: £75
Course Weeks: 5
Room: Kincaid Hall
Campaign: Spring Term 2026
Customer Information: Session dates:
19 January; 26 January; 9 February; 23 February; 9 March 2026
Your Tutor
Name: Michael Williams
Bio: Michael Williams has an undergraduate degree in History and an MSc in Politics. For 21 years he worked as a ministerial adviser in Whitehall before leaving for academic life in 1995. He spent another 26 years teaching a great variety of courses in different universities until retiring in 2021. He’s been teaching courses on politics and history at the Settlement for several years. He published a book on Britain since 1867 in 2000 and a family memoir in 2022. Michael is currently working on a sequel.
Department: Humanities