The Victorian Period 1833

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The Victorian Period 1833-1901

Victorian PeriodThe Queen

This period is named after Queen Victoria who was crowned queen in 1837 at the age o18.

She ruled for more than 60 yearsthe longest reign in British history.

Victorian PeriodCharacteristics The Victorian age encompassed years of unprecedented economic, technical, and

political expansion and dramatic social change.

Imperialism was at its peak.

A strong middle class arose with a strict moral tone. It was at this time that

the tea party became an important feature in middle class Victorian life.

Victorian PeriodCharacteristics

The people of this period acted rather prudish, yet this was a time of the largest amount

published pornography.

There was a loss of individualism.

People believed they could improve themselves through rational thoughtearnestness.

They strived to do their best at all times.


This is a very Christian society. They were very nervous about scientific discovery,

especially Darwin linking humans and animals.

They wanted a strict dichotomy between humans and animals.

Humans--have aspects that lift them above beasts such as education, refinement,

manners, art, religion, familial love, etc.


Animals--are things that threaten self control ad need to be repressed. They

represent sexuality and that should be repressed.

There is a shift from a modest to a passionless society; even if you are married, there was

thought to be no pleasure in sex.


There is a clear dichotomy between man and woman.

Women--domestic, emotional, they are a temptation and a threat.

Men--rational thinkers, all business.


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Victorian PeriodReforms

Reforms were achieved because of a growing social consciousness.

Slavery was abolished in the British Empire and child labor laws began to reformworking conditions.

Britain was coming closer to universal suffrage laws for all.

Free trade was more agreed upon to help with famine conditions caused by the potatoblight and a ruined wheat crop.

Victorian PeriodRealism

In the literature of this time period romanticism continued to influence Victorian writingbut realism increasingly took hold. Realism sought to capture everyday life as it was lived.

Victorian PeriodRealism

Instead of turning away from science and industry, as Romanticism had done, realismfocused on the effects of the Industrial Revolution, often bringing social problems to public

attention.

Victorian PeriodNaturalism

Naturalism, an offshoot of realism that viewed nature and society as forces indifferent thuman suffering, also became a common writing style.

Naturalism sought to put the spirit of scientific observation to literary use by portrayinnature as harsh and indifferent to the human suffering it caused.

Alfred Lord Tennyson(1809-1892)

Tennyson was, the voice and sometimes . . . the conscience of his age. Today he isconsidered one of the greatest English poets, admired for both his control of language and his

ability to evoke a sense of longing and loss.

Tennyson

While at Cambridge Tennyson became best friends with Arthur Hallam, who laterbecame engaged to Tennysons sister. Unfortunately, in 1831, while Hallam was traveling in

Europe, he died suddenly of a brain hemorrhage. Tennyson was devastated and refused to

publish for the next 9 years. He did, however, continue to write and poured his grief into hispoetry.

Tennyson

He published In Memoriam a collection of elegies for Hallam, and this was a greatsuccess.

Queen Victoria asked him to become the nations poet laureate, replacing Wordsworthwho had just passed away.

Tennyson


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In 1883,Tennyson was made baron and thus added the title Lord to his name.

He was the first poet ever to be made a noble.

Robert Browning (1812-1889)

Robert Browning is best known for his dramatic monologuesa type of poem in whica fictional speaker addresses a silent listener about a critical experience in his or her life.

He wrote many plays during this time; however, they were not well received.Robert Browning

In 1846 Robert married Elizabeth Barrett, a poet whose fame greatly exceeded his own athis time. They eloped and moved to Florence. Elizabeth died in 1861, and Robert moved bac

to England.

Robert Browning

He wrote Dramatis Personnae in 1868 about a 17th century Italian murder trial.

It was this long poem that won Robert great acclaim.

Robert Browning

Brownings dramatic monologues have greatly influenced many twentieth-century poets

Today, he is admired not only for these complex psychological portraits, but also for hismasterly blending of natural speech rhythms.

Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806-1861)

Barrett Browning

Elizabeth suffered from fragile health, was the eldest of 12 children, and had a tyrannicafather. Her father forbade all of his children to marry.

However, she secretly married Robert Browning, who was 6 years Elizabeths junior.Barrett Browning

Elizabeth wrote great poetry.

Sonnets from the Portuguese have become the most popular love poems in Englishliterature.

These 44 sonnets were written to Robert during their courtship. Since they wereextremely personal and she did not want people to know she wrote them, she used this title to

disguise the personal nature of the sonnets by implying that they were translated from another

language.

Matthew Arnold (1822-1888)

Of all the great Victorian poets, Matthew Arnold strikes twentieth century readers as themost modern.

The persistent theme of his poems peoples isolation and alienation from nature andfrom one anotherhas been echoed by many writers and thinkers of our own age.

Arnold


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It was his belief that the role of literature was to inspire and rejoice the reader: that isconvey a charm and infuse delight.

In his poetry Arnold deals with the loneliness of humankind in an indifferent universe.

Documents

The Victorian Period 1833