Victorian age (0)

English Literature ,Victoria Age
1) Overview of the Victorian age

• Periodization
  

During the reign of Queen Victoria (1837-1901)

• Why is the Victorian Age compared to the Elizabethan Age?
  

Both are associated with the reign of a very popular queen; Victorian age idealised the Elizabethan Age; many changes in different fields- economy , religion etc.; focusing more on people’s attitudes, political developments etc; Victorian age was inspired by Elizabethan era; Britain became an empire

• What were the most important changes in politics , religion and social life that occurred during the Victorian age?
  

Politics: 1848 Chartist movement (voting right for the working class ); women ’s suffrage movements; feminist outburst ( wanted to have business –openly; own property, voting etc.); world dominion ( British empire); Economy: Industrialization; urbanization (people moved to towns – no agriculture & food); laissez -faire economy – new type, where government has no control over economy; booming economy- needed new markets and endless supply of raw materials; 1845- potato famine in Ireland , 1846- Corn Laws ( import of cheap corn to feed hungry people); Social life: religious doubts ( Darwin ’s The Origin of Species 1859 )- question raised: is there a God at all?; sexual liberation- changed people thoughts about sex ( before men & women had different bedrooms); problems: alcoholism, prostitution, child workforce, primitive technology .

• How did the class structure change ?
  

Highest class was aristocracy (the Church and the nobility); the middle class/the bourgeoisie (shopkeepers, merchants, lawyers, businessmen etc.) was the biggest class; and the lowest class “the working class” and “the poor ”; new change was the upward mobility – people could become richer and move upward in social classes (to higher class); huge boost of the middle and working class; after industrial revolution there was still social division ; late 18th century philosophers and writers started to question the social status of the nobility

• What were the reasons behind upward mobility?
  

New public schools for poorer people; S. Smile “Self Help”; questioning the social status of the nobility

• Reasons behind the rise of literacy
  

1850 – Libraries Act, the Sixpenny novels (people could by cheap books- T. Malory “Morte d’ Arthur ”, W. Scott historical novels- most popular was “ Ivanhoe ”; new schools for middle class- public schools; not so rich people got some education; the Penny Magazine

• Key words of the British national identity :
  

1852- the Great Exhibition; Gothic revival Architectures; the Battle of the Styles; The Tower of London, Hampton Court were opened to public

• Why were the Brits obsessed with the middle ages ?
  

People were afraid of new things, they didn’t feel comfortable in new and fast -moving world; people wanted security and they found it in old things; Middle ages became popular, “Morte d’Arthur” by Thomas Malory
2) Ruskin and the medieval revival

• Who was Ruskin and what were his ideas of art and culture?
  

He was the greatest critic in the English language; rhetorician ( person in the society, who always has sth to say about anything ; not part of the politics, usually from arts department …); cast nature as a reflection of divine truth; instead classicism, looking for sth essentially British; believed in artistic socialism – art and morality closely linked ; against mass production , emphasis on quality; preferred Gothic, medieval revival in architecture ; he taught people to appreciate art and he said that things that are important to British should be from Britain (not from other countries around the world)

• The more prominent artistic and cultural movements of Victoria Britain:
  

The Arts and Crafts Movements, Anglican Oxford Movement, Public Health Act; ( founding of the National Trust and National Arts Collections Fund and Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings); conservation movement

• What were their aims/concerns?
  

Main aims were to restore old things; make new things more like Gothic (old); displaying old things etc.

• What was the ides behind the creation of the public park?
  

In towns there was a need for “ green lungs”; air of the city was problematic; people had a place to go on a free day (people started to work 6 days in a week- 1 day off); a place for different classes to mingle and mix (Georgian/landscape park with Romantic /pleasure garden etc.)
3) Lord Tennyson and Victorian poetry

• What was his main source of inspiration?
  

He was inspired by romantic authors , especially Keats ; another source was King Arthur and Arthurian Tales; (also inspired by nature – many descriptions of nature, in many works discussed the role of man and woman in society; morbid themes /deaths etc.);

• His works:
  

Collection „ Poems “, „The Epic . Morte d’Arthur“, „Idylls of a King“, „The Holy Grail“, „In Memoriam A.H.H“

• Other important Victorian poets :
  

Robert Browning , Matthew Arnold , Gabriel and Christina Rossetti, Gerard Manley Hopkins

• Describe their works in general:
  

Influenced by Romanticism , all the works had sth dramatic and “ dark ”, escaping from the industrial ugliness into unspoilt beauty ; poetry maintained sensuousness and imagination of the Romantic times ; the great problems of the day; Tennyson’s favourite themes were conflict of religion and science ; wrote much about death and other morbid themes; Browning’s works were full on monologues, psychological insight into man’s motives and passions; Rossetti’s works have medieval subjects and forms (like ballad ) and dreamy melancholy; Hopkins focused on relationships with God
4. The Victorian novel and Charles Dickens

• What kind of trend is literary realism ?
  

Literary realism is the accurate observation of individual problems and social relationships.

• What were the main issues that the Victorian novel dealt with?
  

The Victorian novel dealt with the economic and social changes that the Industrial Revolution had created, mass migration of workers to industrial towns(people lived in new urban slums), more radical changes in the 19th century, democratization resulting from extension of the franchise (valimisõigus), challenges to religious faith, advances on the field of science ( scientific knowledge) evolution ; one of the main issues was changes in the role of women.

• What were the four controversies that concerned the Victorian novelists? Describe them briefly . Name some representatives and their works of each of the controversies.
  

Religion and evolution Charles Darwin(religious doubt )
Industrialism (the changes in the making of goods that resulted from substituing machines for hand labor) new kind of working class, wages extremely low, hours very long(14 a day)  sufferers were women and children , families horribly crowded(unsanitary housing) severe economic depression in the early 1840s. Writers who speak about industrialism and its effects : Elizabet Barrett Browning(The Cry of the Chuldren), Friendrich Engels (The Condition of the Working Class), Karl Marx(The Communist Manifesto 1848), Elizabeth Gaskell( Mary Barton ), Charles Dickens, Thomas Hardy , William Makepeace Thackeray.
‘‘The Woman Question“ women wanted more rights , the role of women changed, women did efforts to move beyond the home, women forced into new kinds of labour , Jane Eyre tyoe of women versus feminists(two types ). Representatives: The Brontë sisters – Emily , Anne, Charlotte , George Elliot .
Great Britain’s identity as an imperial power Joseph Chamberlain – British had the moral obligation to expand its influence around the globe (“great governing race“). Benjamin Kidd – social evolutionist, supported the British dominion, Europeans had a greater capacity for ruling – justification of British actions overseas. British expansion pushed forward at an unprecedented rate  a new era of cultural exchange(that altered the British worldview). Representatives: Rudyard Kipling , Richard Francis Burton(The Perfumed Garden, The Arabian Nights, Kama Sutra)

• Other themes and genres of Victorian literature and their representatives(children’s literature, psychological novel, fantasy ).
  

Children’s literature before there was no literature for children, the Victorians “invented childhood“(children started to read), stopping child labour + introduction of compulsory education, literature for young peoplegrowth industry, dedicated children’s authors, novelist producing works for children Dickens A Child’s History of England . Writers_ Lewis Carroll, R.M. Ballantyne, Anna Sewell.
Supernatural and fantastic literature a new form of supernatural, mystery and fantastic literature psychological dimension, centered on larger- than -life characters Sherlock Holmes, famous detective(A.C. Doyle ); Frankenstein(M. Shelley ), Dracula(B. Stoker ), Edward Hyde(R.L.Stevenson), many other fictional characters.
Psychological literature the thoughts and feelings of the characters, the duality of human soul good and baddescribes almost all of the literary works of the period .

• What are the main themes in Charles Dickens‘ works?
  

The main themes in Dickens‘ works: social injustice; gloom of urban decay ( lagunemine ); poverty and despair(lootusetus); children in workhouses and orphanages; consequences of delays in the justice system; evils of industrialism, materialism , educational system.

• What were his views of America like?
  

At first , when he went to America he spoke in favour of the abolition of slavery and was very popular among the US people. After that american publishers pirated his works(international copyright ) and this resulted in a severe criticism of the American society(American Notes). He saw a significant change in the people and the circumstances of America. After that he didn’t have as big American readership but still some supporters remained.

• Name more important works by him.
  

The Picwick Papers all his essays
Novels: Oliver Twist, Nicholas Nickelby, The Old Curiosity Shop, Christmas Carol  all made into films
America: American Notes, Martin Chuzzlewit
Social Novels: David Copperfield(most autobiographical), Bleak House, Little Dorrit, A Tale of Two Cities
1861-1867: Great Expectations , Our Mutual Friend
5. The Woman Question

• What is the Woman Question?
  

It is the change in womens role in society in the 19th century. Women wanted to have equal rights with men, the right to vote, many women became feminists. Women wanted to move beyond home and from domestic life. Some women were supportive of these ideas, some were not.

• What were the main reasons behind the Woman Question?
  

Women did not have the right to own anything and they were the “property“ of their husbands. Women wanted to be educated and to have a role in the society. Women were forced into working long hours at not good conditions. They wanted to protest and have equal rights.

• Describe the three types of the Victorian woman.
  

submissive wife – whole excuse for being was to love, honor, obey and amuse – her lord and master( husband ), bringing up children, giving advice, having conversation with her husband

the “new woman“ – in revolt against her legal and social bondage, demanding equal rights(the same education, the same suffrage, the same opportunities for careers), changes, very educated

between the two – woman is not man, educated, equal, conservative

• How was the Victorian home seen by Ruskin?
  

The home was seen as the place of peace, the shelter of everything. The wife was a household goddess. It was the only place you can go that has a roof on top shelter. It was seen by Ruskin as a temple , a sacred place.

• Why was home idealized?
  

The home had nostalgia , memories of childhood and blessed time spent there. Domestic affection. Small wonder of Victorian home was sentimentalized. A man’s heart was in his home. Outside world was changing very quicklyhome stayed firm .

• What were the responsibilities of an ideal wife before the husband and the society?
  

A wife should be supremely solicitous for the advancement of her husband’s intellectual, moral and spiritual nature. The wife didn’t ever declare her opinion loudly(only secretly), twisted her man around her finger (when men made decisions women actually had persuaded them to do that)manipulation. The wives couldn’t influence society directlythrough children and husband. “The hope of society is in woman! The hope of the age is in woman!“
6. The Brontë sisters

• Name Charlotte Brontë’s works. What are they about?
  

Jane Eyre, published in 1847 – one of the mos famous of British novels, Brontë’s strongest work , was an immediate critical and popular success. Character - a small, plain -faced, intelligent and passionate English orphan girl.
Shirley, published in 1849 – a social novel, set in Yorkshire in the period 1811- 1812 , during the industrial depression resulting from the Napoleonic wars amd the War 1812, set against backdrop of the Luddite uprisings in the Yorkshire textile industry.
Villette, published 1853 – after an unspecified family disaster, protagonist Lucy Snowe travels to the fictional city of Villette to teach at an all- girls school where she is unwilligly pulled into both adventure and romance, acute tracing of Lucy’s psychology, use of Gothic doubling to represent externally what her protagonist ise suffering internally.
The Professor , written before Jane Eyre, rejected by many publishing houses , published 1857, story of a young man(William Crimsworth), describes his maturation, his loves , and his eventual career as a Professor at an all-girl’s school. The story is based upon Charlotte Brontë’s experiences in Brussels where se studied as a language student in 1842.

• What kind of genres do her works belong to?
  

Novels( and poetry.)

• What is the Bildungsroman?
  

A novel that tells the story of a child’s maturation and focuses on the emotions and experiences that lead to his or her maturity.

• What is a social novel?
  

Centres on the effects of social and econimic conditions of the individua, and often ain to bring societal attention to social problems.

• Name Emily Brontë’s works.
  

A novel Wuthering Heights .

• Why is Wuthering Heights important in the History of English literature? What makes it different than other works of the period?
  

It was Emilys only novel that she ever wrote. Its innovative structure somewhat puzzled critics . Although it received mixed reviews when it first came out, the book subsequently became an English literary classic. In 1850, Charlotte edited and published Wuthering Heights as a stand- alone novel and under Emily's real name.(wikipedia) Wuthering Heights‘ innovative structure, which has been likened to a series of Matryoshka dolls because it does not follow a linear structure but employs such devices as flashbacks and two narrators which reveal the narrative step -by-step.

• What is the plot of the Wuthering Heights?
  

The narrative tells the tale of the all-encompassing and passionate, yet thwarted love between Heathcliff and Catherine Earnshaw, and how this unresolved passion eventually destroys both themselves and many around them. There are two narratives in the novel. It shows how you can’t get anywhere by being evil .

• Name Anne Brontë’s works.
  

Agnes Gray, published in 1847 – the protagonist learns about the troubles that face a young woman wo must try to rein in unruly, spoiled children for a living .
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, published in 1848 – it is framed as a letter from Gilbert Markham to his friend and brother -in-law about the events leading to meeting his wife, morals of the Victorian era

• What are the main themes in the Brontë sisters‘ works?
  

Themes: morality(moraalsus,kõlbus), religion, social class, gender roles, relationships