The Victorian Period Poetry Unit

What was happening in society? The Industrial Revolution was growing stronger and stronger. – The rich were getting fatter, and the poor were getting leaner. – There was more pollution and living conditions for the poor worsened… – People were still lobbying for reform, justice, equality, etc.

Factory Acts (setting minimum wage and maximum working hours) came into effect. Education Acts of 1870 and 1891 promoted free education for all.

Religion In the 17 th and 18 th centuries, there was a move away from religious thoughts into a more scientific realm. In the Victorian period, people were confused: – Some stuck to their religious beliefs and became exuberant evangelicals; others reverted back to ancient Roman Catholic rituals. – Some wanted to believe in humanitarianism & brotherhood moreso than a structured religion. – Some were agnostic; others were atheists.

Poetry and Literature of the Time Period: The concepts were a continuation of the Romantic period: – Individuality – Liberty – Nature – Emotions rather than reason The difference was that that these concepts were “domesticated.”

The Victorians were kind of like prudes; they did not want any lascivious thoughts coming from their literature. They wanted to tame the literature and make it respectable. It was the era of “family, home and domestic virtues.” (No more Come live with me and be my love sort of thing!)

Victorian writers found this “taming” or “domesticating” quite stifling. Although their work seemed not as heart-felt, they still tried to make their points through their writing. For example, they often satirized the snobbery of the wealthy, and were looking for reform in the liberty and rights of the poor (equality and justice.)

This is the end of the study of English poetry… People colonized to North America and brought literature over with them. The people from Canada and the USA started to write their own literature. (Literature traded overseas.) This is the time when we started to get our own identity as Canadian writers.

Dover Beach-Matthew Arnold This poem can be classified as a dramatic monologue. How? (A dramatic monologue is a poetic soliloquy where the speaker reveals his own character. Usually a listener is present who doesn’t speak, but plays a part in the development of the poem.) What is the form of this poem? Are there any figures of speech? Who is the poet speaking to in the first of the poem? What about at the end? What does he mean when he is talking about the “Sea of Faith”?

The Raven-Edgar Alan Poe FRIDTM

The Blessed Damozel-Dante Gabriel Rossetti

Song- Christina Rossetti