Victorian literature refers to English literature during the reign of Queen Victoria (1837–1901). The 19th century is considered by some to be the Golden Age of English Literature, especially for British novels. It was in the Victorian era that the novel became the leading literary genre in English.
What was literature like in the Victorian era?
Although poetry and plays were important in Victorian cultural life, the period is known as the great age of the novel. The serial form of publishing, in which installments of a novel were released at regular intervals, encouraged engaged audiences. Victorian books are also famously long.
How would you describe Victorian literature?
The term Victorian literature refers to novels and poetry published during the sixty-three-year-long reign of Queen Victoria. The works generally reflect the widespread changes in society at that time, realistically describing both the technological and social transformations.
What is the main theme of Victorian literature?
The realistic Victorian novel focused on characters and themes such as the plight of the poor and social mobility that was being afforded to a new middle class and the rising middle class were eager to consume these novels.
What is the Victorian era most known for?
The period saw the British Empire grow to become the first global industrial power, producing much of the world’s coal, iron, steel and textiles. The Victorian era saw revolutionary breakthroughs in the arts and sciences, which shaped the world as we know it today.
What are major literary trends of Victorian age?
Victorian objectivity shaped their emphasis on action over introspection and overelaboration of feeling. Their critical theory produced dramatic poems rather than the Romantic lyric.
What makes Victorian style unique?
This style was characterized by symmetry, Renaissance revival style interiors, many small windows, and limited ornamentation. Victorian architecture rejected the subtle styles of the past in favor of a style that reflected the prosperity of certain social classes.
What are the main features of Victorian novel?
features of Victorian novel
- Omniscient narrator provided a comment on the plot and erect a rigid barrier between right and wrong (didactic aim)
- The setting s the city (symbol of industrial civilization, anonymous lives and lost identity)
- Long and complicated plot.
What are the major themes of Victorian period?
During this time, there were many political, societal, and cultural changes such as industrialization, reform, Darwinism, the argument over “high” and “popular” culture, and how literature was used as its own oppositional space in which concerns about loss of faith, modernity, and change in general were discussed.
What are 5 interesting facts about the Victorian era?
10 Interesting facts about the Victorian Era
- Taxidermy was also huge in the Victorian Era.
- Victorians wore a lot of black.
- Freakshows were also big in the Victorian Era.
- When someone passed the family would often have a photograph taken of the body.
- Gothic novels were at their peak.
Why Victorian age is called Golden Age?
To what is considered the “golden age” of England, the Victorian period brought a time of improvements in society, great achievement, and revolutionary ideas that paved the way for modern times. Like today, the Victorian society functioned on three main classes: upper class, middle class and working class.
What was the most important form of literary form in Victorian?
During the nineteenth century the novel become the leading form of literature in English. The works by pre-Victorian writers such as Jane Austen and Walter Scott had perfected both closely observed social satire and historical fiction.
What influenced the Victorian style?
The age of the Victorian design style began with the end of the Industrial Revolution and lasted roughly during the aforementioned time period. The era was heavily influenced by the effects of the Industrial Revolution and increasing globalization, as well as the Neo-Gothic and Rococo styles.
Why were novels popular in the Victorian era?
The middle class or Bourgeoisie had the opportunity to have hobbies and leisure and thus reading became one of the most widespread ones. The industrial revolution revolutionized printing as well and made books more affordable.
What is Victorian culture?
The cultural era of this period is known as “Victorianism,” the culture of the dominant bourgeoisie in the second half of the nineteenth century. That culture was named after the British Queen Victoria, who presided over the zenith of British power and the height of British imperialism.
What is Victorian era poetry?
Poetry written in England during the reign of Queen Victoria (1837-1901) may be referred to as Victorian poetry.
Why is Victorian Age called paradox?
Paradox indeed! The age is in many ways timeless and time-defying. It is indelibly linked to the great Queen who gave it its name yet it stretches out beyond the strict confines of her reign: for some synonymous with the long nineteenth century, for others only coming to a “strange death” with the guns of August 1914.
How would you describe Victorian society?
Victorian society was organized hierarchically. While race, religion, region, and occupation were all meaningful aspects of identity and status, the main organizing principles of Victorian society were gender and class.
What two characteristics describe the Victorian Era?
Historical Context. The Victorian Era, spanning the duration of Queen Victoria’s rule from 1837 – 1901, is characterized by the expanding horizons of education and literacy, as well as by an increased desire of the people to question religion and politics.
What are the major characteristics of Victorian criticism?
It emphasized realism and matter-of-factness and was influenced by the French critics, Hippolyte Taine (1828-1898) and Sainte-Beuve (1804-1869) who propagated the importance of historical and biographical context for assessing a work of art.