Background Reading of Victorian age

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Here I share my assignment on Background Reading of Victorian age. This assainment given by Dr Dilip Barad sir.

Name: Malek Hina Ibrahimbhai

Roll No. : 7(seven)

Batch: 2019-21

Email Id:hinamalek21@gmail.com

Unique ID:  2069 1084 2020 0026

Paper No. : 6 Victorian literature

Topic: Background Reading of Victorian literature

Submitted to: STM. S. B. Gardi Department of English

Question: 1 Background Reading of Victorian age

†Introduction: 

When Victoria became queen, in 1837, English literature seemed to have entered upon a period of lean years, in marked contrast with the poet fruitfulness of the romantic age which we have just studied. Coleridge, Shelly, Keats, Byron, and Scott had passed away and it seems as if there were no writers in England to feel their places. The duration of Queen Victoria's reign is known as the Victorian age for the age of Tennyson or as some critics believe the age of Charles Dickens. According to William. J. long the period from 1852-1900 is considered as the Victorian age while W. H. Hudson considered the period from 1832-1887 for Victorian era and general belief about or consideration for Victorian period is 1837-1901.

†Social political background:

The Victorian era was essentially a period of peace and prosperity for England as it was so poets link Alfred Lord Tennyson who was the master of poetry and leading poet too. Who could not remain silent and exclaimed with joy and sang the glory of the age. There was a clear influence of Darwin's theory over English life. 

Darwin broke the ancient religious belief about the birth of mankind. During this period the discovery of machines also played an important role in the history of England. The industrial revolution changed the production but on the other hand. Thousands of people became unemployed because of the discovery of machines.

†Historical summary of this age: 

Amid the multitude of social and political forces of this great age, four things stand out clearly. 

‡Democracy:

The long struggle of the Anglo-Saxon for personal liberty is defiorder of the day. The king, who appeared in an age of popular weakness and ignorance, and the peers, who appeared in an age of popular weakness and ignorance, and the peers, who came 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 divine right of rules disappears; the House of Commons becomes the ruling power in England;

‡Social Unrest:

It is an age of popular education, of religious tolerance, of growing brotherhood, and of profound social unrest. The slaves has been freed in 1833; but in the middle of the century England awoke to the fact that slaves are not necessarily negroes, stolen in Africa to be sold like cattle in the marketplace, 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 slaves also, the unwilling victims of our unnatural competitive methods, has been the growing purpose of the Victorian Age until the present day.

‡The Ideal of Peace:

It is an age of comparative peace. England begins to think less of the pomp and false glitter of flighting, and more of its moral evils, as the nation realise that it is the common people who bear the burden and the sorrow and the poverty of war, while the privileged classes reap most of the financial and political rewards. Moreover, with the growth of trade and of friendly foreign relations, it becomes evident that the social equality for which England was contending at home belongs to the whole race of men.

‡Arts and Sciences:

The Victoria age is especially remarkable because of its rapid progress in all the arts and sciences and in mechanical inventions. A glance at any record of the industrial achievements of the 19th 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 electric lights. All these material things, as well as growth of education, have their influence upon the life of people, and it is inevitable that they should react upon its prose and poetry;

†Literary Characteristics/Salient feature: 

(1) An age of prose: 

The Victorian age is known as the age of prose. Though the age has produced many poets (Tennyson and Browning) who deserves to rank among the greatest. This is emphatically an age of prose. John Ruskin, Carlyle, Macaulay, Matthew Arnold etc. were almost prose writers of this age.

(2) Moral Purpose: 

Moral purpose is the keynote of Victorian literature. The literature this age both prose and poetry seems to depart from the purely artistic standard of Art for art's sake and to be actuated by definite moral purpose Tennyson. Browning Carlyle not only masters of literature but also teachers of England. Perhaps for this reason the Victorian age is known as the age of realism rather than romance.

(3) Idealism:

It is somewhat customary to speak of this age as this age is the age of doubt and pessimism concept of man and of the universe which formulated by science under the name of evolution. It is spoken about at this age that this age is lacking in great ideas. Both these criticism seem be judging a large thing that may be challenged when we closely study this We may not agree with above judgments, This literature.has idealism as William Llong remarks "The literature which expresses nur faith in man may judge the Victorian age to be on the whole the noblest and most inspiring in the history of the world ".

(4) New Education:

The education acts, making a certain measure of education compulsory, rapidly produced an enormous reading public. The cheapening of printing and proper increased the demand for books as a result of literature was novel and the novelists with a will much of their works was a higher standard. A large number of reading people are waiting for new novels.

(5) An era of peace: 

It is an age of comparative peace. England began to think less of the pomp and false glitter of fighting and more of its moral evils Tennyson who came when the great reform bill occupied attention expresses the ideas of the liberals of his day who proposed to spread the gospel peace. The new colonial that broke out during the Victorian approach did not seriously disturb the national life.

(6)Material Development : 

It was an age with new activity.There was a revolution in commercial (ons co due to the great increase of available markets and as a result of this an immense advance in the use of mechanical countries. This era also became the age of machines.

(7) The revolt: 

Many writers protested against the deeding effects of the conventions Carlyle and Matthew Arnold in their different accents were loud in their denunciations, Thackeray nevertried of vözing the snobbishness of the age , and Browning cobby mannerisms were an indirect challenge of ro velvety diction and the smooth self-satisfaction of the Tennyson school.

(8) International Influences: 

During the 19th century the instrument among American and European writers were remarkably fresh and strong. In Britain the influences of great German writers were continuous and it was championed by Carlyle and Matthew Arnold. Subject nations in particular the italians were a sympathy theme for prose and verse. Browning Swinburne, Morris ,Meredith were deeply absorbed in the long struggle of the followers of Garibald and cavour and when Italian freedom was gained and the rejoicing was genuine. 

(9) An age of compromise:

The Victorian age is called an age of compromise as well, The Victorian sought a happy compromise controversial ideology: Victorian compromise was particularly perceptible in three branches of life, there was compromise between democracy and aristocracy second was between religion and science and the third was new machineries and old system of working. The advance made by science was acceptable but the claim of religion could not be ignored. The main compromise between science and faith in religion as Tennyson says, "There remains faith in honest doubt, believe me, then in half the creeds".

†The poets and novelists of the Victorian Age:

‡Alfred Tennyson (1809-1892):

One who reads this haunting poem of "Merlin and The Gleam" finds in it a suggestion of the spirit of the poet's whole life,— his devotion to the ideal as expressed in poetry, his early romantic impressions, his struggles, doubts, triumphs, and his thrilling message to his race. His famous poems are Early poems, Dreams, The Princess, and Maud.

‡Charles Dickens (1812-1870):

Charles Dickens was the most influential novelists of this age. More ever he was a Social reformer. His masterpieces are: 'The Pickwick papers', 'Oliver Twist', 'A tale of two cities', 'David Copperfield'.

‡Thomas Hardy: 

Hardy was also a leading novelist. His famous works are: 'Tess of d' urbervilles', Mayor of the Casterbridge'

‡William M. Thackeray(1811-63):

Wiliam Thackeray was also a representative of the novel. He was groping for a men of expression, and wavered between verse prose and sketching His famous works are: 'The book of Snobs('1849), 'Vanity Fair The memoirs of Barry London' (1844) 

‡George Eliot (1819-80): 

George Eliot was the celebrated person for this age. Hes novel deal with the tragedy of ordinary lives, unfolded with an intense sympathy and deep insight in to the faith truth of the character/ His famous works are: 'Adam Bede(1859)', 'The mill on the Floss (1860)', 'Middlemarch, a study of provincial life (1871-72)', 'Daniel Derinda(1876)'.

†Conclusion: 

The Victorian period was the most fertile and creative period for English novels. It spread the popularity of novels to every corner of society. We can classify that the Victorian age gifted some leading poets as well as representatives of novels who possess a unique position in the History of English Literature.It is commented that Dickens' 'Pickwick Papers' was at a time on the second highest position in sling after the Bible. On the whole the period looked forwards rather than backwards. Therefore the Victorian period has its own place in the world of Literature.

†Works Cited:

Goodman, Ruth. How to be a Victorian. The Victorian City: Viking 2013.

Long, William J. English literature, the Victorian age. Ed. Enlarged. Delhi: AITBS, 2018

Eric de Mare, The Victorian Wood-Block Illustrators (London: G. Fraser, 1980) p. 7.

Thank you......