Victorian America

The Industrial Revolution was a period of many things for many Britons, but most importantly it was a period of mechanization, mass production and the creation of a working and middle class that divided the nation. The substitution of machine labor for muscle labor led to a sweeping, relatively rapid change in the way of life throughout Britain. Productivity grew and standards of living grew along with it. However, this led to many questioning whether the increase in the standards of living…

Eppie has the power to choose her own verdict. This is important because even though Godfrey is a male and has wealth and a high status, Eppie, a woman, chooses to defy his wishes. This shows the free will that women begin to express during the Victorian Era. The use of the word “determine” in this context means to decide (Eliot 141). When Eppie has the thought of “determin[ing]” what she wants to do, she gets to decide her own fate instead of being submissive to the will of men (Eliot 141). It…

ways. An example is Jane Eyre written by Charlotte Bronte. This novel was written in 1846 during the Victorian era. Jane Eyre can be seen through multiple “lenses” per say due to the novels time period as well as universal ideas. Although there are many views a reader can take through Jane Eyre; feminism is shown through Jane’s character along with the overall treatment of women in the Victorian age. Jane breaks the stereotypical woman by becoming her own individual and going against the way…

In my study during this course, I have noticed a pretty clear divide between the Medieval Era and the Victorian Era. The Medieval texts were often complex and exaggerated narratives. On the other hand, the Victorian texts were rather simplistic in nature. Personally, works that depict realistic situations have more credibility. Therefore, Victorian era works of literature serve as a more accurate representation of childhood as opposed to Medieval literature. To support this argument, I will…

Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu’s texts present varying circumstances of inexplicable terrors situated in Gothic tradition to explore the political and social ideals fundamentally inherent in the Victorian age, particularly surrounding imperialism and sexuality. However, Le Fanu’s method of exploring and critiquing Victorian ideology of imperialism and sexuality are cleverly concealed under the prevalent supernatural elements present in his works. This is a concept that is interwoven seamlessly into the…

sodomy. In the Victorian era, there are many famous examples of homosexual men, including the most famous, Oscar Wilde . Many Victorians knew about these so called ‘sodomites’ and often ignored them in upper levels of society . In reality,…

femininity during the Victorian Era from the 1830s to the 1900s. From the start of the Victorian era the perfect woman as an ideal of femininity was relentless. Women were expected to be prim and proper, as well as pure and hygienic. Women were slaves to fashion, yearning for men’s approval; they had to suffer from heavy crinoline cages on their hips to restricted corsets clinging to their rib cage. I will further my research of how femininity was truly represented in the Victorian Era and the…

As this quote states, “A woman could not show her legs. Pianos had fluffy coverings so the woman’s legs wouldn’t be seen” (Levin ,103). During the Victorian era, which this novel takes place, these were the societal standards; it was completely impolite and unacceptable to see things, like legs or breasts, which were sexual, let alone talk about them during conversation. Bram Stokers novel challenged…

Galligani Casey. "The Potential of Sisterhood: Christina Rossetti's Goblin Market," in Victorian Poetry, Vol. 29, No. 1, Spring, 1991, pp. 63-78. Purpose of article The book chapter ‘The Potential of Sisterhood’ published in 1992 was written by Janet Galligani Casey. The text originates and still appears to date in the Victorian Poetry Vol 29 pp. 63-78. The novel successfully studies the poetry of the Victorian Period through a vast variety of theoretical angles such as feminism, new…

In Self Portrait, Leyster exhibits the still life that is common in the Northern/Dutch Baroque period emphasizing on color and light. Leyster was best known for her happy scenes of couples, families, and Dutch social life, painted her subjects enjoying themselves through common everyday activities. Leyster’s painting displayed this and also shows a similarity in herself with the violinist in the background, both painted to display their profession and the simple enjoyment they both had in it.…