a brief summary of the Victorian Era

The Victorian Era, a period of time during the Queen Victoria’s reign  from 1837 until 1901, is a time found 

hypocritical, and narrow-minded by its large patriarchal families and emphasis on hard work religious conduct and social deference. However, it is also a time of changes in terms of economy, social classes, culture and many things like this charactired the age.

Queen Victoria, who gave her name to the age, is an eminently influenced figure at the time.

The wedding of Victoria and Albert by George Hayter.

First of all, I want to make some references and citations from Antony Burgess’s English Literature because I found it really nutritious about describing the Victorian Age. For him, this age is not so much fixed and it makes it harder to write about. Because unlike the Elizabethan Period, they were much more concerned about their own issues almost obsessively.

The Victorian era is characterised in wide terms by being a period of prosperity and peace for the British nation. During the 19th century, the British Empire reached its peak thanks to its colonizes. . In 1850, London held the first, the Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations, also known as the Crystal Palace. It was to prove Britain’s supremacy in manufacture and design, and make obvious the success of Britain’s free-trade policy. During 1840’s, Britain almost made a breakthorugh in railways which allowed fast and cheap transport and services or goods are integrated in the country. Not surprisingly, Britain, by 1850’s, became the richest and the most global country.

To Brighton and Back for Three and Sixpence by Charles Rossiter (1859)                          

However, the Victorian society was divided into three sections pursing the feudal standards. The concept of ‘’deference’’, meaning the acknowledgement of the higher classes of your own as superior, was known by every member of the society. Although the fluidity of classes were present, it did not end until 1900s. An important change in the society was the consequence of the changing in the rural and urban population. Large scale manufacturing required hand labour and therefore large numbers of people moved from the countryside to the city in order to work in factories.

This unregulated factory system brought great prosperity for a lucky minority, but great misery for the factory workers. They were very poorly paid, and working conditions were deplorable. Child labour was also widespread across the country. However, the new working class found work in the areas where industries and railroad construction were growing. Cities became unpleasant to live contrasting with the paradisical country side depicted in many Victorian novels.

In 1859 Darwin’s On the Origin of Species was published. It was a synthesis of scientific ideas already current, but with some crucial additions like the idea of natural selection. This new conception of evolution caused a great polemic in the scientific and religious communities as it challenged the Bible’s conception of the creation of man.

Moving on to the values of education of the time, obviously the era carries the name of Queen Victoria because of the importance of her figure. She portrayed the values of her age, becoming a reference of conduct for the British. This Victorian morality was composed by a series of values which are obsessive and strict about prudence and decorum.

A good citation from the book of Sean Purchase, Key Concepts in Victorian Literature which shows the time’s clichés:

Severe moral probity, restraint, reserve, family values, a certain dourness or lack of humour, uncomfortable attitudes towards sex, stony faces in photographs, and black clothes. They are equally notorious for their intolerance towards social ‘deviants’ of all types. Criminals, lunatics, homosexuals and stray women were all treated severely or punished, and masturbation was discouraged by cold baths. (Purchase 2)

Lots of books concerning the etiquette became so popular and reflected the Victorian England very well. They instructed people on how to behave in social circumstances. Being proper and having good manners played a very important role in the higher classes of this society. Sexual restraint was also emphasised. Prudery and modesty were elevated so much, especially in women. In addition, Victorian morality symbolized by low tolerance of non-reasonable, non-normal actions, they are severely punished but often the wrong person is punished. Also, they tended to punish lower classes more harshly. 

As for literature, Charles Dickens was most famous, if not the most perfect, writer of the time. In terms of fantasy which benefitted from children, the names first come into our minds must be Lewis Carroll and Edward Lear. The former, known by his pseudonym of Charles Dogson, is the writer of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass. Meanwhile, there were three sisters who were writing novels and poems, of course The Brontës. Also, George Eliot, Wilkie Collins, Charles Kingsley, George Meredith and Samuel Butler were the writers of the age.