1/28/2018 What are the salient features of the Victorian Age in English literature?

| eNotes

Because the Victorian Era covers so many years, 1830 - 1900, it is usually broken down into the early Victorian, mid-
Victorian, and late Victorian, each of which displays its own characteristics. With the rapid industrialization taking place
during the years 1830 - 1850, early Victorian works are characterized by attention to social issues such as child labor and
poverty. Representative works include the heart-rending "The Cry of the Children" by Elizabeth Barrett Browning and the
beloved novel Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens. To the credit of private and public figures of that time, including Queen
Victoria herself, real progress was made on many of those issues.

This progress led to a period in the middle of the century when the British Empire blossomed and pride in the national
identity peaked, represented by Prince Albert's Great Exhibition of 1851. George Eliot wrote novels of moral decency and
brilliant psychological realism; Alfred Lord Tennyson, who became poet laureate in 1850, wrote wonderful lyric poetry, his
famous "In Memoriam," and patriotic verses such as "The Charge of the Light Brigade." The Pre-Raphaelites celebrated
beauty in language and visual arts, contributing to the mid-Victorian heyday of literary achievement.

The later years of the Victorian Era saw a tendency toward the deconstruction of Victorian values. Playwrights Oscar
Wilde and Bernard Shaw were each cleverly iconoclastic in their own ways, satirizing the shortcomings of their society in
plays such as The Importance of Being Earnest and Mrs. Warren's Profession. Robert Louis Stevenson's The Strange
Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde also pointed out the hypocrisy of those who would live dual lives in a surprising detective
type story with a Gothic twist. In poetry, Robert Browning's fascinating dramatic monologues foreshadowed the 20th
century's use of the natural rhythms of speech over the strict metrical arrangements of traditional poetry.

In general, Victorian literature represents a zenith of English language literary achievement in terms of the beauty of its
language and thought, reflecting traditional values and using time-tested literary forms to express its themes. The later
years of the period began to show more disillusionment and doubt, which would become full-blown in the 20th century.

FURTHER READING:
http://www.victorianweb.org/vn/victor4.html

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ESTOVERL | CERTIFIED EDUCATOR

Specifically, the Victorian period began when Queen Victoria became queen of England in 1837 and ended with her
death in 1901. However, the period from 1830 to 1900 is generally considered the Victorian Era. During this time period
of course, characteristics of the culture were presented in the literature of the era.

English power was expanding into Africa and Asia. A growing English middle class, wanting to gain access into the noble
class, produced some appearances of a stuffy, proper culture. Manufacturing was growing and living conditions for the
poor were often deplorable. Cultural struggles grew over science vs religion, the role of women and proper behavior,
especially with regard to sexuality. All of these elements showed up
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1/28/2018 What are the salient features of the Victorian Age in English literature? | eNotes

Novels were extremely popular at the time and often had themes of social advancement, usually linked to financial gain
or proper behavior. Charles Dickens and Charlotte Bronte are two popular authors of this theme. Idealized behavior
written in literature helped to create what it meant to be a "proper Englishman". Didactic poetry grew in popularity as did
nonfiction material. Towards the end of the Victorian period, themes of satire and rebellion against all the proper behavior
stereotypes began to show up in literature.

FURTHER READING:
http://www.public.iastate.edu/~khickok/victoriannovel.html
https://faculty.unlv.edu/kirschen/handouts/victorian.html

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MSHARGADEN | CERTIFIED EDUCATOR

The Victorian period in history and literature was during the years of the reign of Queen Victoria (1837-1901). Queen
Victoria was the longest-running English monarch in history.

The Vistorian era was a bridge between the romantic era in literature of the 18th century and the industrialized world of
the 20th century.

In England, the Victorian era was the era of massive empire building. Writers like Joseph Conrad were inspired by daring
adventure found in the quest to take over far-flung areas of the world.

Victorian literature tends to be concerned with morals, right and wromg. It often champions the downtrodden.Sometimes
this led Vistorian novels to be grim and realistic portrayals of life among the poor classes. Happy endings also became
les and less common in Victorial novels.

Sometimes Victorian literature is thought of as stuffy and morally opressive. However, it is also very imaginative and
emotional. It also uses realism to show the plight of everyday working people.

Some of the most famous authors of this period are Charlotte Brontë , Emily Bronte, and Charles Dickens, all English
writers.

During this time the novel became the most important literary work

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