Neo-Victorian

been told who would believe the truth. Oscar Wilde wrote comedy melodrama play “The Importance of Being Earnest” which is his perception of the rigid Victorian social norms and values. Also the word “Earnest” plays a significant role in the play. According to Brigitte Bastiat, Oscar Wilde uses his characters to express’s his deviance of the Victorian social norms, such as marriage, hereditary privileges, sexual roles and language (Basstiat). The main characters are Jack Worthy (Ernest),…

of 1907, she worked to produce a large collection of works including assortments of poetry, biographies, and several novels (All Poetry). Her poem, “The Other Side of a Mirror” was published in 1896 and displayed several of the main themes of Victorian society that she generally incorporated in her work. Jealousy and resentment cause a woman to look at her reflection in a mirror, and watch as these internal emotions are reflected externally: “A face bereft of loveliness/ It had no envy now to…

through the meaning created by the stage directions and setting of the stage. The playwright reveals the stage as an extension of society and as the drama unfolds, the audience is aware of the role deception plays in the rigid class structure of the Victorian Era. The play’s title foreshadows the symbolic importance of the stage. As the audience is introduced to the living room of the Helmers’ home, it becomes apparent that it is a metaphorical…

viewed to consist of conventional love rather than affected love in a contemporary society because conventional love is described as genuine, caring and forgiving, which are attributes displayed by both characters. However, the novel is set in the Victorian Era where their relationship would not fit into the conventional ideas of love because relationships were based on financial security and family life. Catherine and Heathcliff’s relationship is partially displayed through the weather; in…

image of femininity, especially by the middle class in Victorian culture. In fact, Queen Victoria served as “a resource for the metaphor of…

Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll House, has done an excellent job in creating an environment of a household in the Victorian Era. He gives Nora, the main character, many influences to her numerous actions throughout the play, but Ibsen wants to portray Krogstad as the most influential character because of his actions and strong motives inspiring Nora to commit crimes, as well as confidence and forgiveness. Nora is hiding many secrets from her husband, Torvald, but her biggest secret is the fact that when…

one of the goddesses being the protector of virgins, it is clear that one of the main reasons Angel cherishes Tess so dearly, is because of this seeming virginity. He idealizes Tess to state of being a innocent, divine being; when in reality, by Victorian standards she is a fallen woman. Because of this it could be perceived that it is in fact her lack of innocence that is presented as dangerous, as when Angel finds out about the ‘seduction’ at ‘The Chase’ he claims to have married ‘a different…

collection of short stories in Sketches by Boz explore a variety of different ideas, one of which being an affectedness in people who engage specific facets of Victorian social life. “The First of May,” “The Dance Academy,” and “Horatio Sparkins,” along with many other sketches in this collection all explore differing aspects of Victorian culture and the pretenses that the people engaging in them constructed. One striking example of such a story is that of “Miss Evans and the Eagle.” In “Miss…

In the Victorian Age in England, many new ideas were in the air, but unfortunately for most, those ideas were being locked up and left for individuals to deal with. One of the upcoming ideals that was floating around was the idea that a women could possibly be an independent human and it not be found out of the ordinary. Commonly, if we look back in history, women are “supposed” to be married. It is a part of life, where the woman leaves the home and serves the man she marries, but if a woman…

demanding, and judgmental, constantly aimed towards perfection, can make any well behaved person feel uncomfortable, trapped, and terrified of free expression. This was precisely the type of society that was created by the English government during the Victorian Era. The representative government of this ‘perfect society’, as well as the negative impacts…