1. The Victorian Period

2. A Time of Change
London becomes most important city in Europe--population of London expands from two million to six million
Shift from agrarian to urban economy
Expansion of industrialism
Increase in wealth and rise of middle class
World’s foremost imperial power
Victorian people suffered from anxiety, being displaced persons in an age of technological advances.

3. Queen Victoria and the Victorian Temper
Ruled England
Exemplifies Victorian qualities: earnestness, moral responsibility, domestic propriety
The Victorian Period was an age of transition
An age characterized by high moral purpose
Spread of British Empire

4. The Time of Troubles 1830’s and 1840’s
Unemployed—1.5 mil
Poverty/potato famine
Rioting
Slums in large cities
Terrible working conditions; women and children worked hours a day
Pollution and industrial waste

5. The Mid-Victorian Period 1848-1870
A time of relative prosperity
A time of improvement
A time of stability and optimism
Progress for the Victorians meant
Clean, lighted streets
Streets patrolled by police at night
City planning for “respectable” neighborhoods

6. The Reform Bills
1832-Transformed English class structure and extended the right to vote to males owning property
Second Reform Bill passed in 1867 extended right to vote to working class
Factory Act limited child labor to 10 hours per day

7. Challenges to Religious Belief
Science
Advances in science and technology
Darwin--the Origin of the Species and The Descent of Man
Higher Criticism
Examination of the Bible as a mere text of history
Advances in the study of geology, astronomy

8. Victorian Decorum
Victorian society pre-occupied with “correct” behavior and manners—(similar to scene from The Age of Innocence).
Role of Victorian woman to create a place of peace and tranquility for her husband.
Victorians thought life would be improved if everyone became more refined.
Very prudish about sex

9. The Victorian Novel
The novel was the dominant form in Victorian literature and represented a large and comprehensive social world, with a variety of classes.
Victorian novels are realistic.
Major theme is the place of the individual in society, the aspiration of the hero or heroine for love or social position.
The protagonist’s search for fulfillment is emblematic of the human condition.
For the first time, women were major writers: the Brontes. Elizabeth Gaskell, George Eliot.
The Victorian novel was a principal form of entertainment.

10. Victorian Poetry
Dramatic monologue – the idea of creating a lyric poem in the voice of a speaker distinct from the poet is the great achievement of Victorian poetry.
Victorian poetry is pictorial; poets use detail to construct visual images that represent the emotion or situation the poem concerns.
Conflict between private poetic self and public social role.

11. Victorian Writers
Asked questions whether material comforts fully satisfied needs.
Questioned exploitative labor
Attacked materialism and waste that accompanied progress—questioned whether culture was advancing
Expressed spiritual doubt—pessimistic exploration of human struggle
Examined dangers and benefits of rapid industrialization; encouraged readers to examine their understanding of progress.

12. Images of the Victorian Period