Victorian morality

Scandals concerning corruption and blackmail are expected elements of politics in movies and on television. There have been famous corruption scandals in American history, such as the Iran-Contra Affair. The public seems to expect that politicians are willing to take money in exchange for political favors and to use insider information for their personal benefit. Like Sir Chiltern, Martha Stewart famously used insider information to have money. In her case, Stewart sold stocks that she…

The law strives to preserve the order of society, while promoting morality and justice. Given that the law limits human autonomy through restriction, the question arises as to when and to what extent should a state limit the freedom of its citizens. In “On Liberty”, John Stuart Mill provides an answer to this question in the form of the harm principle: the sole reason for interfering with the liberty of an individual is to prevent the harm of others (Mill 1859). This principle states that law or…

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),…

control. Jane uses the teachings of Helens perception of Christianity to tolerate the conditions at Lowood and encourages her to think about the afterlife. Before meeting Helen Jane has a very limited perception of Christianity the stigma in the Victorian era was that little girls should behave and accept harsh punishment, this was something Jane could not deal with before meeting Helen, she presents the idea of religious sacrifice. Helen has strong beliefs about Christianity; she believes that…

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…

famous work of science fiction “The Time Machine,” he presented many of the well known beliefs of his time such as a sense of imperialism and other Victorian values. With all of these elements of the Victorian Era there is a debate on whether racism was a theme in “The Time Machine.” This was perhaps one of the least obvious…

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

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…

only was a lecturer, writer and a schoolmaster but also a physician. This, I would guess, aided him in his writing of the fairy tale. But alas “He was, in fact, a born writer and educator.” (Banerjee) Morley had a large impact on education in the Victorian era. He established a school…

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…