The Victorian Period

TheVictorianPeriodCharlesDickensWilliamMakepeaceThackerayBronteSisterAlfred,LordTennysonRobertBrowningLiteratureoftheVictorianPeriodTheVictorianPeriodofEnglishliteraturebeganwiththeaccessionofQueenVictoriatothethronein1837,andlasteduntilherdeathin1901.QueenVictoria(1819-1901)Political,Economical&CulturalBackgroundTheearlyVictorianperiod:TheearlyyearsoftheVictorianEnglandwasatimeofrapideconomicdevelopmentaswellasserioussocialproblems.AftertheReformBillof1832passedthepoliticalpowerfromthedecayingaristocratsintothehandsofthemiddle-classindustrialcapitalists,theIndustrialRevolutionsoongearedup.Towardsthemid-century,Englandhadreacheditshighestpointofdevelopmentasaworldpower.Andyetbeneaththegreatprosperity&richness,thereexistedwidespreadpoverty&wretchednessamongtheworkingclass.Theworseningliving&workingconditions,themassunemployment&thenewPoorLawof1834withitsworkhousesystemfinallygaverisetotheChartistMovement(1836-1848).ThemiddleVictorianperiod:Duringthenexttwentyyears,Englandsettleddowntoatimeofprosperity&relativestability.Themiddle-classlifeofthetimewascharacterizedbyprosperity,respectability&materialprogress.ThelateVictorianperiod:ButthelastthreedecadesofthecenturywitnessedthedeclineoftheBritishEmpire&thedecayoftheVictorianvalues.Citystreets—people&placesPolitical,Economical&CulturalBackgroundIdeologically,theVictoriansexperiencedfundamentalchanges.Therapiddevelopmentofscience&technology,newinventions&discoveriesingeology,astronomy,biology&anthropologydrasticallyshookpeople'sreligiousconvictions.Thereligiouscollisionthatstartedfromtheearlynineteenthcenturycontinuedandwasintensifiedbythedisputesoverevolutionaryscience.Darwin'sTheOriginofSpecies(1859)&TheDescentofMan(1871)shookthetheoreticalbasisofthetraditionalfaith.Ontheotherhand,Utilitarianismwaswidelyaccepted&practiced.Almosteverythingwasputtothetestbythecriterionofutility,thatis,theextenttowhichitcouldpromotethematerialhappiness.WhatisUtilitarianism?painandpleasurearetheonlyabsolutesintheworld:Painandpleasurecanbemeasuredruleofutility:thatthegoodiswhateverbringsthegreatesthappinesstothegreatestnumberofpeopleanyactionorlawisdefinedbyitsutilityorusefulnessHowdidthisphilosophyaffectVictorianeducation?Only“useful“subjectstaughtMusic,Art,LiteraturenotconsideredusefulHeavyfocusonmeasuringhowusefulsubjectswereEverythingwastaughtveryliterallyTheChartistMovement(1836-1848)TheEnglishworkersgotthemselvesorganizedinbigcities&broughtforththePeople'scharter,inwhichtheydemandedbasicrights&betterliving&workingconditions.They,forthreetimes,madeappealstothegovernment,withhundredsofthousandsofpeople'ssignatures.Themovementsweptovermostofthecitiesinthecountry.Althoughthemovementdeclinedtoanendin1848,itdidbringsomeimprovementtothewelfareoftheworkingclass.ThiswasthefirstmassmovementoftheEnglishworkingclass&theearlysignoftheawakeningofthepoor,oppressedpeople.CriticalRealismTheVictorianAgeisanageofrealismratherthanofromanticism-arealismwhichstrivestotellthewholetruthshowingmoral&physicaldiseasesastheyare.Tobetruetolifebecomesthefirstrequirementforliterarywriting.Asthemirroroftruth,literaturehascomeveryclosetodailylife,reflectingitspracticalproblems&interests&isusedasapowerfulinstrumentofhumanprogress.TheDevelopmentofVictorianLiterature(1)VictorianLiterature,asaproductofitsage,naturallyhaditsqualityofmagnitudeanddiversity.Itwasmany-sidedandcomplex,andreflectedbothromanticallyandrealisticallythegreatchangesthatweregoingoninpeople’slifeandthought.(2)Itrepresentstherealityandspiritoftheage.Thehigh-spiritedvitality,thedown-to-earthearnestness,thegood-naturedhumorandunboundedimaginationareallunprecedented.TheGenresofVictorianLiterature1)Thenovelbecamethemostwidelyreadandthemostvitalandchallengingexpressionofprogressivethought.CharlesDickens,WilliamMakepeaceThackeray,CharlotteBronte,EmilyBronte2)ThegreatprosewritersintheVictorianagebroughtEnglishprosetoaveryhighpointinbothproseartandliterarycriticism.Carlyle,Huxley3)ThefamouspoetsintheVictorianperiodwere:AlfredTennyson,RobertBrowningFeaturesofVictoriannovelsInthisperiod,thenovelbecamethemostwidelyread&themostvital&challengingexpressionofprogressivethought.Whilestickingtotheprincipleoffaithfulrepresentationofthe18th-centuryrealistnovel,novelistsinthisperiodcarriedtheirdutyforwardtothecriticismofthesociety&thedefenseofthemass.Althoughwritingfromdifferentpointsofview&withdifferenttechniques,theysharedonethingincommon,thatis,theywereallconcernedaboutthefateofthecommonpeople.Theywereangryattheinhumansocialinstitutions,thedecayingsocialmoralityasrepresentedbythemoney-worship&Utilitarianism&thewidespreadmisery,poverty&injustice.Theirtruthfuldepictionofpeople'slife&bitter&strongcriticismofthesocietyhaddonemuchinawakeningthepublicconsciousnesstothesocialproblems&intheactualimprovementofthesociety.Victorianliterature,ingeneral,truthfullyrepresentsthereality&spiritoftheage.Thehigh-spiritedvitality,thedown-to-earthearnestness,thegood-naturedhumor&unboundedimaginationareallunprecedented.Inalmosteverygenreitpavedthewayforthecomingcentu