Background of Victorian Literature

Paper 6 : Victorian Literature

Topic:

◙ Background of Victorian Literature

Name: Sagar G.Ladhva 
Roll No: 25
Semester : M.A. -2
Enrollment No: 14101022
Email.id: sagarladhva5507@gmail.com

  Submitted To: 

Smt.S.B.Gardi

Department  of English

MK.B.U. - Bhavanagr Universtity

     

Preamble:

The Reign of Queen Victoria (1837 - 1900)

Victoria, daughter of the Duke of Kent, succeeded her uncle, William IV, in 1837 when she was a girl of eighteen.She had character, a great sense of public duty and resposibility, and was perhaps the best possible monarch for nineteenth-century Britain.Her reign lasted almost 64 years, making her the longest reigning monarch in the history of England. This period of great expansion for the British Empire.

                               Coleridge, Shelly, Keats, Byron and Scoot Had passed away, and it seemed As if there were no writers in England to fill their places. Wordsworth had written 1835,

Like clouds that rake the mountain summits,

Or waves that own no curbing hand,

How fast has brother followed brother.

From sunshine to the sunless land!

In these liens is reflected the sorrowful of a literary man of the early nineteenth century who recommended the glory that had passed away from earth.

Brief Introduction of Victorian Age:

                                This age is also known as an age of revolution. This period started in: 1830.It was the era of Queen Victoria. A long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence for Britain. Political situation was divided between two parties: Whigs & Tories. It also plays vital role in history and literature of Victorian Era. Ended in 1890.It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence for Britain.

Background of Victorian Age

( 1) Historical Summary/Background:

                              In this history of Victorian time many political changes of the world here this period influence of literature and many skill and work development of this area.Victorian Period political background main point of them:

(2) Democracy: Amid the multitude of social and political forces of this great age, first the long struggle of the Anglo-Saxons for personal liberty is definitely settled and democracy becomes the established order of day. The king ,who appeared in a age of popular weakness and ignorance and the peers who come with the Normans in  triumph, are both stripped of their power and left as figureheads of a past civilization. The last vestige of personal government and of the driven right of rulers disappears; the house of common become the rulings power in England and a series of new reform bill rapidly extend the sufferings.

(3) Social unrest: second the age of democracy,it is an age of popular education of religious tolerance, of growing brotherhood and of profound social unrest.The slaves are not necessarily Negroes, stolen in Africa to be sold cattle in the market place,but that multitudes of men ,women and little children in the mines and factories were victims of a more terrible industrial and social slavery. To free these slave also.

(4) The Idea of peace & prosperity:  Third is it is an age of comparative peace. England begins to think less of the pomp and false glitter of fighting and more of its moral evils as the nation realizes that it the common people who bear the burden and sorrow and the poverty of war. While the privileged classes reap most of the finical and political rewards. Moreover, with the growth to trade and friendly foreign relations in become evident that social equality for which England was contending at home belongs to the whole race of men.

(5) Arts and science: forth the Victorian age is especially remarkable of its rapid progress in all the arts and science and it mechanical invention.A glance at any record of the industrial achievements of the 19^th century will show how vast they are and it is unnecessary to repeat here the list of inventions from spinning looms to steamboats and from matches to electrics lights.  

                          I have put video about of idea that of what position of at the time of Victorian age on click to image see the watch video:

(2) Literary Characteristic:

(1) An age of prose:when one is interested enough to trace the genealogy of victoria to his surprise, that in her veins flowed the blood both of William the conquer and Cerdic,the first Saxon king of England; and this seems to be symbolic of the literature of her age, Which embrace the whole realm of saxconand normal life.-the strength and ideals of the one and the culture and refinement of the other . The romantic revival had don’t its work and England entered upon a new free period. In which every from literature.at this day it is obviously impossible to judge the age as a whole; but we are getting for enough away from early half of it notice certain definite characteristics. First thought the age produced many poets and two who deserve to rank among the greatest

Nevertheless this is emphatically an age of prose. And since the numbers of readers has increased a thousand fold with the separate and popular education, it is the age of newspaper,the magazines, and the modern novel – the first two beings the story of the world’s daily’s life and the last our pleasantest from of literary entertainment as well as our most successful method of priesting of modern problems and modern ideas. The novel in this age fills a place which drama held in the days of Elizabethan. And never before in any age or language has the novel appeared in such numbers and in such perfection.

(2) Moral purpose: The second marked characteristics of the age is that literature ,both is in prose and poetry, seems to depart from the purely artistic standard ,of art’s sake , and to be actuated by definite moral purpose. Tennyson,Browning,Carlyle,Ruskin.- who and what these man if not the teachers of England not vaguely but definitely, with superb faith in their message and with the conscious moral purpose to uplift and to instruct? Even the novel breaks away from the Scott’s romantics influence and first studies life as it is, and then point’s out what life may ought to be. Whether we read the fun and sentiment of Dickens, the social miniatures of Thackeray or psychological studies of George Eliot. We find in almost every case a definite purpose to sweep away error and to reveal the underlying truth of human life. so the novel 

Sought to do for society in this age precisely what Lyell and Darwin sought to do for science that is to find the truth and to show it might be used to uplift humanity. Perhaps for this reason the Victorian age is emphatically an age of realism rather than of romance – not the realism of Zola and Ibsen but a deeper realism which strives to tell the whole truth, showing moral and physical disease as they are but holding up health and hops as the normal conditions of humanity.

( 3) Idealism: It is very important characteristics of Victorian literature and many influence work of that time. Here this age new conception was developing of man and the universal things which was formulated by science under the name of evolution. It spoken of also as prosaic age , lacking in great ideals. Both these criticism seem to be the result of judging a large thing when we are too close to it to be a shapeless pile of stone when we stand too beneath its mighty walls and buttresses. Tennyson’s unformed true work , like that of the minor poets is sometimes in a doubtful or despairing strain; but his ‘In Memoriam’is like the rainbow after storm; and Browning seems better to express the spirit of his age in a strong, manly faith of ‘Rabbi Ben Ezra’and courageous optimism of all his poetry . Stedman’s Victorian Anthologyis on the whole, a most in spring book of poetry. It would be hard to collect more varied cheer from any age. And the great essayist like: Macaulay, Carlyle, Ruskin and the great novelist like: Dickens , Thackeray , George Eliot. Generally leave us with a larger charity and with a deeper faith in our humanity.

Development of Poetry:

·         Very large and varied lyrical output.
·         Fresh work of literature.
·         Greater advance to chronicle in Narrative and Descriptive poetry.
·         Great variety of subject and periods.
·         The Pre-Raphaelite school, united several features.
·         Descriptive side of poetry is very strong in Victorian Age.
·         Fondness for medieval things. 
     Melodious simplicity of poetry of Victorian Era. 

Development of Prose:

·   By the middle of the 19^th century, the novel, fixes itself as a form of literature.

·   New form of literature.

·   Accepted widely in society and specially because of women.

·   The historical novels were also written.

·   The development of SHORT STORY as different form of literature.

·   ESSAY was the expansion of the literary type into the treatise-in-little.

·   Essay was mostly developed because of Macaulay.

·   The LECTURE becomes a prominent literary species for Victorian time.

·   The HISTORIANS are strongly represented and especially for their work in prose.

Major novelist and prose writer:

 

Development of Drama:

•         It was the only genre, which developed less in comparison of other genres.
•          Several of the major poets wrote tragedy on the accepted line and models.
•          Reviving of POETICAL DRAMA.
•          The popularity of the dramatic monologue.
•          Lord Tennyson:  

Dominant form in Victorian literature.Seek to represent a large and comprehensive social world, with a variety of classes.Victorian novels are realistic and impressive

Major theme: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. There most a principal form of entertainment.Throughout the nineteenth century, drama continued its decline since the Restoration period.  Most works of the period lack depth and originality.  Two playwrights are exceptions to this trend: Oscar Wild (1856-1900) and George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950). Oscar Wild’s comedies such as The Importance of Being Earnest and Lady Windermere's Fan abound in verbal polish and cynicism.  Shaw’s plays addressed such social questions as education, marriage, and the class system in a comic vein.  His works include Man and Superman, Pygmalion, and St. Joan.  

    Minor Novelist of the Victorian Age

Charles Reade: In his fondness for stage effect, for picturing the romantic side of common life. His work like:

o   The Cloister and the Hearth;

o   A terrible Temptation ;

o   Put yourself in his place.

Antony Trollope: In his realism and especially in his conception of the novel as the entertainment of an idle hour. His work like:

o   Barchester Towers

o   The warden

o   The last chronicle of Barest

Charlotte Bronte :She aimed to make her novels a realistic picture of society, she added realism and somewhat unbalanced romanticism. His notable work that:

o   Jane Eyre

o   Villette

o   Shireley

Bulwer Lytoon:Edward Bulwer Lytoon was an extremely versatile writer who tried almost every kind of novel known to the 19^th century. His novels:

o   Ernest Malteravers

o   The caxtone

o   My novel

o   Kenelm Chillingly

Kingsely:He was different spirit of novel writer  known to 19^th century. His novels:

Westward ho !

Hereward the wake

Mrs.Gaskell: She  ideal with the making of the novel instrument of social reform. His novels:

Mary Barton

North and south

Life of charlotte bronte- which is one of our best biography 

Thomas Hardy : Hardy is direct and simple , aiming at realism in all things. His remarkable work like:

Under the Greenwood Tree

A pair of Blue Eyes

Far from the Madding Crowed

The Woodlander – masterpieces

The Return of the Native

Jude of the Obscure

• About Victorian age PESSIMISM, OPTIMISM AND IDEALISM:

‘‘ Between the two worlds, One is dead,

   The other powerless to be born ’’.  - Mathew Arnold

‘‘God is in the Heaven, All is right with the world.” – Browning

‘In Seven Lamp of Architecture’ Ruskin brings optimism and Faith.

• The spirit of modern literature :

                                    As we reflect on the Varied works of the Victorian writers three marked characteristics invite our attention. First our great literary men, no less than our great scientist have made truth the supreme object of humaneffort. All these eager poets, novelist, and essayist questing over so many different ways, are equally intent on discovering the truth of life. Second, literature has become the mirror of truth; and the first requirement of every serious novel or essay is to be true life or the facts which it represents. Third, literature has become animated by definite moral purpose. The poets are not only singers but leaders; they hold up an ideal, and they compel men to recognized and follow it. The novelist tell a story which pictures human life and at the same time call us the work of social reform or drive home a moral lesson.  Here remember of Milton’s famous sentence,“ A good book is the precious lifeblood of a master spirit,”  might be written across the whole Victorian era. We are still too near these writers judge how far their works suffers artificial from their practical purpose ; but this much is certain – that whether or not they created immortal works their books have made the world a better and happier place live in.   

( 1) Social Classes / Background:

Working Class – physical labor

Middle Class – performed clean work

Upper Class – did not have to work

• Working Class:

Ø Poor living and working conditions.

Ø Did not follow rules of courtship

Ø Did not participate in social entertainment

Ø Had very little chance for education

                                  Social condition of this age was reflected to literature and human life and there are most of class people in to sign use in different way and different contrast. Many of writers getting in new idea rising for literature and most of things are related in class and other sub-cast.

Working Class Conditions:

•         Working conditions: –       Workers included women and children –       Long work days –       Poor nutrition and health ·     Living conditions: –       Often over crowded –    Poorly ventilated –    No sewage or drainage systems

v Reforms: 

•           Education reforms

–       Moving to provide education

- For more than just the privileged

•         Factory reforms

•         Working to get children out of the factories and provide better conditions

•         Political reforms

•         Worked to close the huge gap between the classes

v Middle Class:Only men provided the income. Consisted of bankers, shopkeepers, merchants, engineers, other professionals.

v Upper Class: Wealth came from inherited land or investments included people from the church and of nobility.

v Courtship:Rules varied based. Upon class Courtship advanced by gradations Lower classes had opportunities to socialize at church and during holiday season. Upper class held their own social events throughout the season

v Entertainment: Several popular forms of entertainment contrast by socioeconomic class.All could enjoy the arts except those of the working class.Middle and upper class read and studied society novels.

Conclusion :

                                          In wind up with increasing large number of literary and social reformers, there development a humanist attitude to life. In works of Dickens, Carlyle, Ruskin, etc.There was a crusading   zeal of the literary artist to bring about social and economic reforms. The Victorian’s wanted a happy compromise when faced with radical problems. The compromise was particularly seen in three fields of life. In political there was compromise between democracy and aristocracy. Progressive idea were reconciled with conservative leanings for establish order of society. In the field of religion and science, a satisfying compromise was affected. The scientific advanced were accepted but the claims of old religion were not ignored. In the field of sex also they had their compromise. They permitted enjoyment of sex, but controlled in sphere to conjugal felicity. Thus the Victorian age is very remarkable movement of history English literature and also a largely useful or helpful of to us of understanding to English literature.