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The Victorian Period. 1830-1901. A Time of Change. London becomes most important city in Europe--population of London expands from two million to six million Shift from agrarian to urban economy Expansion of industrialism Increase in wealth and rise of middle class
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The Victorian Period 1830-1901
A Time of Change • London becomes most important city in Europe--population of London expands from two million to six million • Shift from agrarian to urban economy • Expansion of industrialism • Increase in wealth and rise of middle class • World’s foremost imperial power • Victorian people suffered from anxiety, being displaced persons in an age of technological advances.
Queen Victoria and the Victorian Temper • Ruled England 1837-1901 • Exemplifies Victorian qualities: earnestness, moral responsibility, domestic propriety • The Victorian Period was an age of transition • An age characterized by high moral purpose • Spread of British Empire
The Time of Troubles1830’s and 1840’s • Unemployed—1.5 mil • Poverty/potato famine • Rioting • Slums in large cities • Terrible working conditions; women and children worked 15-18 hours a day • Pollution and industrial waste
The Mid-Victorian Period1848-1870 • A time of relative prosperity • A time of improvement • A time of stability and optimism • Progress for the Victorians meant • Clean, lighted streets • Streets patrolled by police at night • City planning for “respectable” neighborhoods
The Reform Bills • 1832-Transformed English class structure and extended the right to vote to males owning property • Second Reform Bill passed in 1867 extended right to vote to working class • Factory Act limited child labor to 10 hours per day
Challenges to Religious Belief • Science • Advances in science and technology • Darwin--the Origin of the Species and The Descent of Man • Higher Criticism • Examination of the Bible as a mere text of history • Advances in the study of geology, astronomy
Victorian Decorum • Victorian society pre-occupied with “correct” behavior and manners—(similar to scene from The Age of Innocence). • Role of Victorian woman to create a place of peace and tranquility for her husband. • Victorians thought life would be improved if everyone became more refined. • Very prudish about sex
The Victorian Novel • The novel was the dominant form in Victorian literature and represented a large and comprehensive social world, with a variety of classes. • Victorian novels are realistic. • Major theme is the place of the individual in society, the aspiration of the hero or heroine for love or social position. • The protagonist’s search for fulfillment is emblematic of the human condition. • For the first time, women were major writers: the Brontes. Elizabeth Gaskell, George Eliot. • The Victorian novel was a principal form of entertainment.
Victorian Poetry • Dramatic monologue – the idea of creating a lyric poem in the voice of a speaker distinct from the poet is the great achievement of Victorian poetry. • Victorian poetry is pictorial; poets use detail to construct visual images that represent the emotion or situation the poem concerns. • Conflict between private poetic self and public social role.
Victorian Writers • Asked questions whether material comforts fully satisfied needs. • Questioned exploitative labor • Attacked materialism and waste that accompanied progress—questioned whether culture was advancing • Expressed spiritual doubt—pessimistic exploration of human struggle • Examined dangers and benefits of rapid industrialization; encouraged readers to examine their understanding of progress.
