Author: Muriel Schmidt

Matthew Arnold. Matthew Arnold was a pessimistic poet, and the poem most quoted to underline this classification is “Dover. What is pessimism in Victorian age? Victorian poets abandoned the verdant, inspiring model of nature popularized by the Romantics. This harsh, fatalistic language is a reflection of what is commonly called Victorian pessimism. Who was the […]

On October 16, 1854, the famous Irish poet and writer Oscar Fingal O’Flahertie Wills Wilde aka Oscar Wilde was born. He is considered to be one of the most iconic figures from late Victorian society. What is the relationship between Oscar Wilde and the Victorian era? It can0t go unsaid that Oscar Wilde was victim […]

Ice-cream became very popular in the 19th century and was a welcome cool treat on summer beaches, as the Victorians developed icehouses (essentially deep wells) to store ice and keep it cool. Was there ice cream in the Victorian era? Frozen Desserts Both cream and water ices tended to be served as part of the […]

Families went to the seaside because the bracing air was believed to be healthy. Nobody went to sun- bathe, this was not fashionable and in Victorian times most people went to the beach fully clothed. Sea – bathing!! During the Victorian period sea- bathing was believed to be good for you. What did Victorians do […]

These sinks consisted of a wooden cabinet with an unattached bowl or basin placed on top. The basin was filled with water from a pitcher or bucket just prior to use, then emptied outside after use. Basins usually were made of painted ceramic for personal grooming or metal for food preparation. What were old sinks […]

The harsh system of the workhouse became synonymous with the Victorian era, an institution which became known for its terrible conditions, forced child labour, long hours, malnutrition, beatings and neglect. What were working conditions like in Victorian times? Work given to Victorian children was usually menial and boring, and the conditions in which work was […]

prostitution. By the 1850s prostitution had become “the Great Social Evil,” not simply an affront to morality, but a vital aspect of the social economy as well. What was the great social evil? During the nineteenth century prostitution became labeled as “The Great Social Evil” by contemporaries. Who wrote the great social evil? The great […]

Victorian society put a high value on a gentleman’s good reputation and there was huge pressure to conform to society’s expectations. Desires and habits that did not fit in with these expectations had to be hidden or repressed and the novel explores the consequences of this. What was extremely important during the Victorian era? The […]

Wealthy parents sent their children to fee-paying schools or employed governess, but gender still affected those of high class: boys’ schooling was considered more important, and they were taught academic and functional skills while girls were taught sewing, needlework, drawing, and music. What were children taught in Victorian times? The most important lessons were the […]

The most notorious Victorian murders were bloody slayings in the backstreets of London’s Whitechapel, ascribed to Jack the Ripper. These attacks typically involved female prostitutes who lived and worked in the slums of the East End of London, whose throats were cut prior to abdominal mutilations. What was the worst punishment in Victorian times? Some […]