Victorian England: A Time of Change and Contrasts

1. The Victorian Period 1830-1901

2. A Time of Change • London becomes most important city in Europe: Population of London expands from 2 to 6 million • Impact of modern urban economy & industrialism • World’s foremost imperial power • It was a time of relative peace • Many Victorian people suffered from anxiety, a sense of being displaced persons in an age of technological advances.

3. Queen Victoria and the Victorian Temper • Ruled England for 63 years (from 1837-1901) – the longest reign of any British monarch • She exemplifies Victorian qualities: virtue, modesty, and respectability

4. The Early Victorian Period1830-1848 • A troubled time in history • Unemployment • Poverty • Rioting • Slums in large cities • Working conditions for women and children were terrible

5. The Mid-Victorian Period1848-1870 • A time of prosperity • A time of improvement • A time of stability • A time of optimism

6. The Right to Vote • The Reform Bill of 1832: Extended the right to vote to all males owning property • The Reform Bill of 1867: Extended right to vote to working class • Note: Neither extended the vote to women

7. The British Empire Expands • Between 1853 and 1880, large scale emigration to British colonies • In 1857, Parliament took over the government of India and Queen Victoria became empress of India. • Many British people saw the expansion of empire as a moral responsibility. • Missionaries spread Christianity in India, Asia, and Africa.

8. Challenges to Religious Belief • Science • Darwin- the Origin of Species and The Descent of Man (evolution and natural selection) • Higher Criticism • Examination of the Bible as a mere text of history • Advances in Astronomy

9. The Late Victorian Period1870-1901 • Decay of Victorian values • British imperialism questioned • Boer War (anti-British sentiments) • Irish question (Britain’s rule over Ireland. Yes, this is the same issue Swift grappled with in 1729) • Germany & the U.S. became rival powers • Economic depression led to mass immigration • Socialism

10. Impact on Victorian Literature • Early to mid Victorian era – including authors such as Dickens, Browning, Bronte, and Arnold – were more optimistic. Characters may have struggled but they found happiness with friends and families • Late Victorian era – including authors such as Hardy and Housman – were more pessimistic and wrote of betrayals, wars, etc.

11. Literacy, Publication, and Reading • By the end of the century, literacy was almost universal. • Compulsory national education required to the age of ten. • Growth of the periodical, novels, and short fiction • The reading public expected literature to illuminate social problems.

12. The Victorian Novel • The novel was the dominant form in Victorian literature. • Victorian novels are realistic with themes including the role of the individual in society. • For the first time, women were major writers: the Brontes. Elizabeth Gaskell, George Eliot. • The Victorian novel was a principal form of entertainment.

13. Victorian Poetry • Strong influence of the Romantics, but not as confident as the Romantics in the power of the imagination. • 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. • Heavy use of imagery