Introduction
The Victorian, from the coronation of Queen Victoria in 1837 untill
her death in 1901, was an era of numerous disturbing social developments. The
literature of the Victorian Age entered a new period after the Romantic Revival.
The literature of this age was preceded by romanticism and was followed by
modernism or realism. During this period, the writers were forced to write on the
living issues of society. In this way the literature of this Era was directed to
issues such as the growth of English democracy, the education of the masses, the
progress of industrial enterprise and the rise of materialistic philosophy and the
problem of newly industrialized worker. However during this period there was a lot
of radical social change. Many poets of this period did not like the romanticized
version of society.
Characteristics of Victorian Age
During this period there was a progress in the field of science
and arts. But this age was equally marked by its social unrest. There were some
moments like Oxford Movement and The Pre- Raphaelite Scholl of Poetry, which were
the reason of social unrest in this age. This age was also an age of truth and
morality of truth. Because of spreading of knowledge, people of this age become
knowledgeable and it was a time to stop the war by the help of knowledge. So let’s
have a look on the some important characteristic of the Victorian age.
Industrial Revolution
The Victorian Age is the era of Political peace and prosperity in
England. As a result it brought the industrial progress. The Industrial Revolution
gave the birth of industrial economy in England. Many factories and mills were
established across the country. Industrial Revolution also brought the social
disorder and economical sorrow in society. As a result two classes came into
existence. On the one side there was a rich class of mill-owner and capitalist,
while on the other side there was a poor class of labourers and factory workers. As
a result a wave of social unrest blew over the England. The influences of this
social unrest found their expression in the works of the writer like Mathew Arnold
and Charles Dicknes.
Victorian Realism
The literature of the Victorian Age is the literature of realism
rather than of romance. In the Victorian Literature one can experience the feeling
of a return from solitude to society, from nature to industry, from concepts to
issues, from spiritualism to pragmatism, from optimism to agnosticism, from
lyricism to criticism and from organicism to compromise. During this time,
literature became an instrument of social reform. The Victorian literature was
marked with focused, propagandistic and didactic aims.
The uniqueness of Individuality
The writers of this age were gifted with striking originality in
outlook, style, method, character and viewpoint. The uniqueness of individuality
was a typical characteristic of this era. Charles Dickens was one of the most
original writers and novelist in the world. The works of Bronte sisters are
characterized by their lonely path of their work. In the work of Lord Macaulay we
find the energy and venture of the Victorian self-made man. William Thackeray loved
to follow a haphazard path in the conduct of his stories
The Age of Prose and Novel
During the Victorian age among all literary forms novel were looking
like the brightest star in the sky of England. In this age we had greatest novelist
like Charles Dickens, Emily Bronte, Charlotte Bronte, Anne Bronte, George Eliot,
Thomas Hardy William Thackeray and George Borrow. In this Age some of the famous
novels of Charles Dickens that demands or attention, which are Oliver Twist, A Tale
of Two Cities and Great Expectations.
Deep Moral Note
Literature of this age was marked by a Deep Moral Note. The Prose and
Poetry of this era was motivated by a definite moral note. Tennyson, Browning and
Ruskin were interested in spreading their message and moral philosophy to their
countrymen. They were teachers of England and wanted to uplift and instruct their
fellowmen. The psychological studies of George Eliot brought out the underlying
truth of human life.
The Scientific Spirit
The literature of this age was significantly modified by the concept
of science. Under the spirit of science, Victorian society lived their life.
Scientific research also raised some doubtful tendencies. It could be observed in
the works of this age. The questing spirit in Arthur Hugh Cough, the pessism of
James Thomson and the melancholy of Mathew Arnold is the result of it. As well as
the poetry of Tennyson was very much influenced by the advancement of science. In
Memoriam also the undertones of scientific research could be heard. The social
problems of the earlier Victorians writer like Charlotte Bronte, Dickens and
Kingsley were connected with the advancement of the points in biology, psychology
and pathology.
In this age romantic elements were vanished and the writers of the age presented
the harsh reality of society and human life in their work. It was an age of harsh
realism rather than the fictions stories of fantasy. Novels were very famous
literary form in this age.
Writers of Victorian Age
Novelists
Essayists
Poets
Charkes Dicknes
John Risk
Alferd Tennyson
George Eliot
Mathew Arnold
Robert Browning
Thomas Hardy
Thomas.B.Macaulay
D.G.Rossetti
Charlotte Bronte
Thomas Carlyle
William Morris
W.M. Thackery
John Henry
Newman
Edward Fitzgerald
Elizabeth Gaskell
Major novelist of Victorian age
Charles Dickens (1812-1870)
Image result for charles dickens
He was the most popular Victorian novelist. His novels were very popular
then and continue to be so even today. His novels were focused on the hardships
faced by the middle class and other social issues. His writing style was florid,
poetic and it had powerful comic touch. He is well known for his novel Oliver
Twist. In which he portrayed the harsh reality of workhouse in the Victorian era
and as well as the victimization of women characters in the Victorian age. His
other major works are Nicholas Nickleby, The Old Curiosity Shop and Barnaby Rudge:
A Tale of the Riots of Eighty. His work was liked and admired by eminent writers
like George Gissing and G.K.Chesterton.
George Eliot (1819-1880)
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Mary Anne Evans who used to wrote under her penname George Eliot, was a
master of novel in second half of the 19th century. George Eliot was a master of
writing portraits English rural societies, and this was what her novels were known
for during the Victorian era. Eliot believed that there was something magical about
her life. Her affection about this can be seen in Middlemarch, The Mill on the
Floos and many more. Some of her books also had political undertones as well. She
wrote about characters, who were social outsiders and also showcased the
persecution of small towns in her works. The events in Middlemarch centre on the
beginning of the Reform Bill of 1832 which pulls different characters in opposite
directions. Her some other well known works are Romola, Silas Marner, The Mill on
the Floss. Eliot is not just one of the most important female authors of all time
but also one of the most important authors of all time. Her novels are just as good
in style, substance, and staying power as her male Victorian counterparts like
Charles Dickens, Thomas Hardy, Wilkie Collins, and more. Her novels showcase the
best and worst parts of humanity and they will be lauded as long as the western
canon continues to be read.
Major poets of Victorian Age
Alfred Lord Tennyson
Image result for alfred lord tennyson
One of the most important English poet of Victorian age was Alfred
Lord Tennyson. The works of Alfred Lord Tennyson are best known for their close
affinity with the English Mythology and English history. Tennyson’s poetry is
historically interesting on the social and political sides. Tennyson presented all
the essential features of Victorian life, the ideas and tastes in his poetry and
for this reason we can rightly call him the most representative literary man of the
Victorian era. He is essentially a Victorian in his concept of love and his high
regard for domestic virtues. In his attitude towards women he is also a true
Victorian. The Victorians did not approve of women’s struggle for rights of
equality with men. It was thought that they were created for looking after the
house-hold. Tennyson presents this faith in “The Princes”. His well known poems are
In Memoriam, Ulysses, The Lady of Shalott, Break Break Break, The Lotos Eaters,
Mariana and the Eagle.
Robert Browning
Image result for robert browning
Robert Browning was a prolific Victorian era poet.He is naturally
considered a Victorian poet, considering that he wrote during the time period of
Victorian England. And yet Browning's work is simultaneously a revolt against some
of the most well-defined aspects of that time, and a reflection of its
characteristics. Robert Browning secured his place as a prominent poet with
dramatic monologue, the form he mastered and for which he became known and
influential. Browning’s first published work Pauline: A Fragment of a Confession
was although formally a dramatic monologue and embodied many of his own adolescent
passions and anxieties. His noteworthy poems are My Last Duchess, Meeting at Night,
The Ring and the Book, Fra Lippo Lippi, Men and Women and The Lost Leader.
Conclusion
Due to progress of science and art,Victorian age is also known as
the modern period of progress and unrest. In this period writers were depicted
about life of an individual and its connection in to Victorian society. It was an
era of material development with ideal peace. This age was portrayed as a
completely ideal life. It was an idealistic age where the great idea like truth,
justice and brotherhood were emphasized by poets, essayist and novelists of the
age.
