Victorian era.
Mahwish Muneer
Victorian era British history, the period between
approximately 1820 and 1914, corresponding roughly but not
exactly to the period of Queen Victoria’s reign (1837–1901)
and characterized by a class-based society, a growing number
of people able to vote, a growing state and economy,
and Britain’s status as the most powerful empire in the
world.
The Victorian era of the United Kingdom and its overseas
Empire spans the 63-year reign of Queen Victoria (1837-
1901)
During the Victorian period, Britain was a powerful nation
with a rich culture. It had a stable government, and a growing
state.
The period saw the British Empire grow to become the first
global industrial power, producing much of the world's coal,
iron, steel and textiles.
24 May24 May 1819 | Victoria is born
24 May 120 June 1837 | Victoria ascends to the throne
V2 June 1837 | Victoria ascends to the throne
After the death of King William IV on 20
June 1837, his 18-year-old niece was given the title the
Queen of England
.
| Victoria is born
The Victorian age was one of rapid development and
change, far swifter than in previous centuries. During this
period England changed from a rural, agricultural country to
an urban, industrialised one. This involved massive
dislocation and radically altered the nature of society. It took
many years for both government and people to adjust to the
new conditions.
Key themes and developments
Over the period there were changes and developments in
every sphere of life. Key themes include the following:
Industrial Revolution
The Victorian Age is the era of Political peace and
prosperity in England. As a result it brought the industrial
progress. The Industrial Revolution gave the birth of
industrial economy in England. Many factories and mills were
established across the country. Industrial Revolution also
brought the social disorder and economical sorrow in society.
As a result two classes came into existence. On the one side
there was a rich class of mill-owner and capitalist, while on
the other side there was a poor class of labourers and factory
workers. As a result a wave of social unrest blew over the
England. The influences of this social unrest found their
expression in the works of the writer like Mathew Arnold and
Charles Dicknes.
Population growth and migration
Between 1801 and 1871 alone the population of the UK
doubled. Within the UK as a whole, people moved from the
countryside into the new industrial cities to find work.
Migrants from across the world also settled in Britain, notably
Jews from Europe and Russia.
The growth of leisure pursuits
The 19th century saw the beginning of mass leisure: seaside
holidays, religious activities, and the development of public
parks, museums, libraries, spectator sports, theatres and
music halls.
Victorian Realism
The literature of the Victorian Age is the literature of
realism rather than of romance. In the Victorian Literature
one can experience the feeling of a return from solitude to
society, from nature to industry
The Age of Prose and Novel
During the Victorian age among all literary forms
novel were looking like the brightest star in the sky of
England. In this age we had greatest novelist like Charles
Dickens, Emily Bronte, Charlotte Bronte, Anne Bronte,
George Eliot, Thomas Hardy William Thackeray and George
Borrow
.Major Novelist of Victorian age
Charles Dickens (1812-1870)
He was the most popular Victorian novelist. His novels were
very popular then and continue to be so even today. His
novels were focused on the hardships faced by the middle
class and other social issues. He is well known for his novel
Oliver Twist. In which he portrayed the harsh reality of
workhouse in the Victorian era and as well as the
victimization of women characters in the Victorian age. His
other major works are Nicholas Nickleby, The Old Curiosity
Shop and Barnaby Rudge: A Tale of the Riots of Eighty.
George Eliot (1819-1880)
Mary Anne Evans who used to wrote under her penname
George Eliot, was a master of novel. Her some other well
known works are Romola, Silas Marner, The Mill on the Floss.
Major poets of Victorian Age
Alfred Lord Tennyson
One of the most important English poet of Victorian age was
Alfred Lord Tennyson. His well known poems are In
Memoriam, Ulysses, The Lady of Shalott, Break Break Break,
The Lotos Eaters, Mariana and the Eagle.
Robert Browning
Robert Browning was a prolific Victorian era poet.He is
naturally considered a Victorian poet, considering that he
wrote during the time period of Victorian England. Robert
Browning secured his place as a prominent poet with
dramatic monologue, the form he mastered and for which he
became known and influential. Browning’s first published
work Pauline: A Fragment of a Confession. His noteworthy
poems are My Last Duchess, Meeting at Night, The Ring and
the Book, Fra Lippo Lippi, Men and Women and The Lost
Leader.
Conclusion
Due to progress of science and art,Victorian age is
also known as the modern period of progress and unrest. In
this period writers were depicted about life of an individual
and its connection in to Victorian society. It was an era of
material development with ideal peace.
