The real monsters, from the perspective of many prominent Victorian writers, were the ones living in upper-class mansions, sipping expensive wines, and feigning decency. While some Victorian era prose like “Charge of the Light Brigade” took pride in England, others portrayed the country’s society in a darker, more cynical light. These poems and stories symbolized the people England had to offer: hypocritical intellectuals, sociopathic royalty, rigid military officials, and corrupt priests. The best Victorian poets made careful stylistic choices to represent them within characters. Rather than focusing on setting, like their Romantic predecessors, Victorians fought for characterization in their writing, and, often, literature’s most interesting
