Victorian literature

In this essay, I will be exploring the changing presentation of sexuality within classic Victorian literature, exemplified with the use of a case study of Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre and Bram Stoker’s Dracula. I would argue that perhaps more than in any other literary period, any textual inclination towards sexuality deteriorated as the eighteenth century progressed, ‘desexualising’ it, or, at least confining it to the bedroom doors of married couples. Additionally, whilst essentialist arguments surrounding sexuality have historically cast the subject as ‘taboo’, interestingly, I have found an underlying sexual tone in many novels of this period, with a distinctive shift in attitudes becoming a marker of the wider social and economic changes…

In western academia, the Victorian era has always been a well studied subject. It was known to be an elegant time: filled with new innovations, a bustling economy, and an evolving political narrative. The Victorian era was the epitome of extravagance of its time, and no other society could compare. However the Victorian era was not faultless. While it was a prosperous time period, issues involving class, poverty, race, and gender still existed (as they do with all societies). Some of these…

The use of drugs throughout the Victorian era could have influenced the imaginations of the authors and the mental state of characters. In the Victorian era, drugs such as marijuana, opium, morphine and cocaine, were very big in society. According to the article, “Victorian Drug Use” by Dr. Andrzej Diniejko, “Dangerous drugs were commonly used for making home remedies and less frequently as a recreation for the bored and alienated people. The recreational use of opiates was popular particularly…

Victorian society valued a range of qualities that combined would result in being perceived as having good moral and gaining respect form society. This aspect of reaching and aiming to be of high moral and respect was apparent in the Victorian literature as well (Altick, 1973, p. 17). Victorian literature often explored the life of men and women in a given class and how they maintained their social status when pressured by outside factors, and just as often how they tried to improve their status…

The Impact of History on Victorian Literature Victorian England was a battleground of opposing ideas. Grenades of revolution were being dropped on hierarchy. As the fence separating farmers from aristocrats was being torn down, lovers were already tying their knots between the links. The shackles placed upon women, limiting their reach to the world, were being removed by individually earned wages. However, many errors in society still existed. Those who had battled against the antediluvian…

Drug Addiction as an Important Element in Victorian Novels: A Brief Discussion with reference to The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins The consumption of drug has always been a common part in the lives of people. People consume different type of drugs for several reasons. Some take it for medical reasons while some others take it for pleasure. The addiction towards a certain drug can have great influence on one’s life both physically and mentally. While talking about drug addiction we mainly refer to…

vastly different than what one may assume. Robert Browning is unlike most authors throughout the Victorian era; he reveals a sinister vibe in his works. Because of the somber theme, the haunting imagery, and the dire symbols, one may predict the outcome of this dreadful tale. When the reader delves into the gloomy poem, he or she will discover the underlying theme by analyzing…

Victorian literature sentimentally displays death and loss through commentary on the human condition. Typically, authors morphed child labor, prison, hunger, and great discontent all together to create emotional scenes of passion and bitterness. Charles Dickens, the author of the classic A Tale of Two Cities, mobilized his agonizing public divorce and surrounding European social turbulences to adequately express the effects of one’s decisions. A Victorian without basic modern health, Dickens…

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 this social norm with his writing. Early in the novel Jonathan expresses his sexual desires…

Eliot’s Rosamond Vincy is a further example. On face value Rosamond also can be considered an Angel. She is beautiful and has been schooled in all the lady-like accomplishments; although as one of the Middlemarch older women noted in a direct challenge to the concept of Angelic domestic ideology, ‘what was the use of accomplishments which would all be laid aside as soon as she was married? (Eliot 157)’. The Victorian lady may have been equipped to look angelic but she was ill-equipped to deal…