Victorian literature

The Victorian era, a time period that lasted from 1837-1901, is characterized with a morality in which meticulous rules of conduct were practiced and gender restrictions on individuals were in place. Furthermore, Victorian ideology witnessed an increasing interest towards romanticism and naturalism. The Awakening by Kate Chopin displayed these philosophies with intricate characters that were considered to be controversial at this time. Chopin illustrates the limitations of Edna Pontellier in her…

A significant piece of Victorian literature, North and South, is a novel published in 1855. Gaskell portrays to us the conflicts of different worlds; the rural south vs. the industrial north, mill owners vs. workers, and women private world vs. men public world. The novel’s protagonist Margaret Hale, one of the strongest female characters in English literature and the heroine of North and South, embodies the true spirit of a heroine. Margaret Hale proves herself continuously to be a strong and…

Many works of literature undermine, question, or rebel against aspects of society. The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde is a satirical comedy that undercuts the British aristocracy of Late Victorian England. The novella Heart of Darkness calls into question British colonialism and imperialism. Both works of literature reveal human faults within the English aristocracy and imperialism. The novella Heart of Darkness criticizes imperialism and colonialism through the use of an evil tone…

and symbolically sexualised characters in English literature. Bram Stoker’s ‘Dracula’ addresses Victorian anxieties regarding its women’s feminist awakening and breaking of patriarchal chains during the time and highlighted this fear in his novel. By focusing on these topics in his novel, Stoker, who was a staunch conservative Anglican and advocate of patriarchy, emphasises how women’s interests were leading to a dangerous change in the Victorian morality, and with the advent of the New Woman…

Tennyson’s Idylls of the King was written in Victorian England and the latest version was published in 1885, though the actual writing process covered a span of almost 50 years. Tennyson bases the series of poems comprising the Idylls on the European myth of King Arthur and the court of Camelot and various other adaptations of that legend. The evolution of Tennyson’s female characters to their final stages underscores an undermining of traditional Victorian gender roles by highlighting the…

friend. However, Utterson refuses to give up the search for the relation between Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Robert Louis Stevenson’s story, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, is a dark, timeless tale that links good and evil while pushing the restraints of Victorian society. Robert Louis Stevenson was born in Edinburgh, Scotland on November 13, 1850. He was the only son of his parents. As a child, he was bed ridden due to chronic health problems. He had a nurse, Allison Cunningham, who took care of him. She…

not treated as equals. Over the existence of the human race women have been seen as the weakest link, and men have always been expected to be the family’s provider. The setting of A Doll House by Henrik Ibsen takes place during Christmas time in a Victorian middle class household belonging to Torvald and Nora Helmer, their three children, their nurse Anne-Marie, and their maid Helene. In the beginning of the play Nora is asking Torvald for money for Christmas shopping and goes on to talk about…

Eliot in 1939. During this time period, the “late Victorian culture forbade the public expression of feeling” (McNamara 359). Eliot defies such principles and writes poems that contribute to the new era of poetry, the Modern Era. Eliot utilizes every aspect of the poem to exploit the hypocrisy of the people during the Victorian Era. Eliot develops this poem to expose the frustrations of the modern individual and the hypocrisies of the Victorian Era. McNamara notes that the poem ties “to…

ideals can be seen throughout nineteenth century British Literature. Ones gender is thought to determine emotional behaviour, as during this period emotions were accustomed by the influence of Society and power, despite both men and women sharing the same emotions (Hansen, Norberg 441). The Victorian period can be particularly associated with the roles and characteristics of men and women becoming more discrete which resulted in the Victorians belief of “separate spheres” (1607). This gave rise…

The Victorian Era in the British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 1837 until her death in 1901. This era was known for having a class conflict. People were either extremely poor or filthy rich. Many writers in the Victorian period used literature to voice their opinions about the class system, one of whom was Oscar Wilde. He used his comedy play “The Importance of Being Earnest” to discuss serious matters about the class conflict in the Victorian period in a humorous way. In…