The Victorian Era was a period of great change in English literature where most works were directly influence by social and political problems of 19th century England. The Victorian Era was a period spanning Queen Victoria’s reign from 1837 to 1901. This period proceeded the Romantic period in English History which had poetry as its main source of literature. Nevertheless, the most important genre in the Victorian Period was the novel. In contrast, the Romantic Era, the era prior to the Victorian Era, most influential genre was poetry. Most of the major literary artist came from England, even though, there were also authors from other countries in the same time period of the Victorian Era. To demonstrate, some of these authors were: Mark …show more content…
Undoubtedly, the literature of this era was relatively easier to read than works from other eras, the plot was more interesting and easier to understand, and the main protagonist of the novel were the same people who read it (first person point of view) so the reader was deeply involved in the character’s feelings and adventures. Moreover, the setting of the novels was big, well known, cities that the reader probably already is familiar with. The Victorian literature characteristics were mostly composed of social issues that plagued the middle class, and the major changes the population were seeing with industrialization. Some notable characteristics were for example: industrialization, as seen with Charlotte Brontë novel “Shirley”; serialization, as seen with Charles Dickens “The Woman in White”; social class, taking for example Jane Austen’s novel “Pride and Prejudice”; Science vs. Religion, the idea that science could explain what religion could not was challenged by Charles Darwin in his book “The Origin of the Species”; progress, as is the case for Gerge Eliot’s novel “The Middlemarch”; and finally, utilitarianism, being manifested in Charles Dickens’s novel “Hard Times”. Most of the characteristics are caused by Britain’s social, industrial, and political changes
The world today consists of children roaming the streets, technology taking over the world, and being able to work wherever you'd like but, could you imagine a life without all these things? Believe it or not there was a time in life where these things were very uncommon to see. This would be known as the victorian era. This time period was between 1837 and 1901. Daily life was very different from now. Health, social classes, and fashion are just three examples of how daily life was different in the victorian era.
The Victorian Era was a time of wide extremes. elegant city streets, gas lamps, and in contrast grinding poverty. It was also a time of exploration and invention. With their pioneer spirit wild frontier towns were born across the world. and with their flare and ingenuity the Victorians took with them their values and elegance. (Matthew Arnold) Though Victorian period was influenced by the reform act 1832 and subsequent acts, yet this period also marked by extreme diversities with the industrial reforms, cultural progress, scientific advancement on one hand and poverty and wars on the other.
The Victorian England witnessed many developments ranging from the social to the literary fields. Literature being the very reflection of society since ages continued in the nineteenth century England also as the vehicle of expression. While the scientific advancement was the trend, there were many writers who sought a subjective involvement with life owing to the growth of uncertainty and doubts and took refuge from the religious domains. Poets like Matthew Arnold saw religion as the perfect hope for sustenance and apart from him, there were many other writers who made their say whether in the form of poetry or prose and contributed to the world literary domain. An effective woman voice of the period was Christian Georgina Rossetti.
Literature has always been a window into life during a particular time frame. Fiction and nonfiction alike will give its readers a glimpse of the lives of those of varying social statuses, along with the culture and politics of the time. This remains true regardless of the period in which a work was written. From the Romantic era to the 20th Century, literature has been skilled at providing understanding of others and their lives. For example, from the Romantic period works like the two William Wordsworth poems I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud and The World is Too Much with Us, along with A Red, Red Rose by Robert Burns. The Victorian era has its own share of works that reflect the time when it was written, including Lewis Carroll’s The Walrus
The Victorian Era or the romantic period was a time in which Queen Victoria ruled the throne. The Victorian period formally began in 1837 the year in which Victoria became the Queen of England and ended in 1901 the year in which she was laid to rest. In this paper, I will discuss Queen Victoria’s life or what we all know to be “The Victorian Era.” I will highlight some of the most powerful events that occurred during this time, the many reforms that were passed during Queen Victoria’s ruling, I will discuss the political, cultural, and social developments of this time period. I will speak about some inventions of the Victorian Era, and the two main political parties better known as the Tory and Whigs that were popular during this age. You will discover what imperialism is, the commonwealth, The British Monarch and why and how Victoria was such a remarkable monarch. I will even tell you some of the most interesting facts that I have learned to be true about Queen Victoria.
Through the time from the Colonial period to the Romantic period there has been many influential writings and authors. Many of the works receive a more prominent place in history. From John Smith starting the Colonial Period of writing through Edgar Allan Poe's Romanticzied poems and short stories all hold great places in history. In many respects all the works of the authors and authors themselves all affected the movement of writing periods but some stood out more than others. John Smith, the American Revolutionary War, and Uncle Tom's Cabin are some of the most important and influential steps toward the evolution of American literature.
The Victorian Era was an era where the British history was under Queen Victoria’s reign for sixty-four years. The people whom were under Queen Victoria’s ruling were called the Victorians. The Queen Victoria was a huge influence on the way the Victorians’ sense was on the morality and immortality of their lives. Since era is known as the era of peace, prosperity, and appreciation for what was given to them but it included self-confidence very much in everything occurred in this era.
The Victorian Age, ruled by Queen Victoria in 1837 through 1901, was a time of great change in Britain. Becoming one of the most powerful nations in the world, Britain was well on its way to success. In addition to this achievement, writers also accomplished their own feats. The short story genre flourished, and authors such as Charles Dickens became well-known for their work. Tom Tiddler’s Ground by Charles Dickens embodies life during the Victorian era through genre, setting, characterization, and style.
The Victorian period became one of the greatest influential times in literature. The characteristics of Victorian literature were detailed realism, social responsibility and enthusiasm for reforms. During the Victorian period, people saw the birth of industrialization. Enormous changes occurred in the political and social life in England. Nevertheless the industrial revolution was the birth of technical and scientific ideology. Europe during this time saw the increase in wealth but also the increase in poverty. In addition Factors played a big role in the wealth of Europe because of the ability of mass production. The Victorian period was also a time of transition when women and kids were allowed to work in factors because fathers were not able to provide on their own. Elizabeth Barrett Browning was a poet who was
In the two text that I have chosen from the Enlightenment era and the Romantic era, each presents the English literature at their time. Frankenstein presents the gothic novel the shows emotions, which were poplar at the Romantic era, and Robinson Crusoe presents the kind of novel that was poplar at the Enlightenment era is finding reason, learning by
When Queen Victoria ascended the British throne in 1837, it marked the beginning of a promising new age - the Victorian era.
The span of time from the Victorian age of Literature to the Modernism of the 20th century wrought many changes in poetry style and literary thinking. While both eras contained elements of self-scrutiny, the various forms and reasoning behind such thinking were vastly different. The Victorian age, with it's new industrialization of society, brought to poetry and literature the fictional character, seeing the world from another's eyes. It was also a time in which "Victorian authors and intellectuals found a way to reassert religious ideas" (Longman, p. 1790). Society was questioning the ideals of religion, yet people wanted to
great prosperity in Great Britain's literature. The Victorian Age produced a variety of changes. Political and social reform produced a variety of reading among all classes. The lower-class became more self-conscious, the middle class more powerful and the rich became more vulnerable. The novels of Charles Dickens, the poems of Alfred,
Through the late 1700s and early 1800s, the period of Romanticism blossomed. “Romanticism” very loosely describes the era in which modern culture began to take shape. During the Romantic era, many advancements were made in all aspects of people’s lives and cultures. One aspect in particular has held great value even to this day. That aspect being the expansive amount of literature created during the era. The era of Romanticism had its name for a reason. It can be greatly attributed to the romantic style or genre of literature that defined the period. Romantic writers wove many tales of admiration, longing, and aspirations. They were fantastical, in a sense, and almost the antithesis of realism, even. Amidst the great breadth of literature
Every country has its story and literature reflects the most important events that happened during a determinate period, and also, how people, politics, religion and the society in general developed during those periods. As I see it, literature, just as all forms of art, is a giant chronological picture that shows all the shades of a society in all its aspects. In this case, English literature, from 1660 to 1830 specifically, shows a great transformation from the beginning of the Restoration to the end of the Romanticism.