Concetti Chiave
- The Victorian Age marked Queen Victoria's lengthy reign, characterized by economic growth through industrial and transport advancements and significant British Empire expansion.
- Social reforms were prominent, with Factory Acts improving worker conditions and Elementary Education Acts making schooling free and compulsory.
- Despite societal progress, the era was known as the Puritan Age, marked by sexual taboos and patriarchal family structures, yet also saw the rise of the women's suffrage movement.
- The Victorian compromise highlighted a duality between development and social issues, masked by societal optimism and hypocrisy.
- Victorian women were idealized as domestic "angels in the house," with limited rights, education, and employment opportunities compared to men.
VICTORIAN AGE
The Victorian Age was the period of Queen Victoria’s reign and it was the longest reign in British history, a period of growing in economy thanks to the development of industry and transports and period of political expansion: the British Empire took enormous proportions.
Victorian age was also the age of social reforms for example there were Factory acts: this act improved the condition of workers in factories and the elementary education Acts: elementary school became free and compulsory
This period is also named Puritan age because sex became a taboo, families was strictly patriarchal and so women were under the authority of their fathers or husbands, even if, during the Victorian Age, women began to fight for freedom and emancipation with the suffragette’s movement
If in the one hand Victorian Age was a period of developing, in the other hand it was a period of social problems: this is the Victorian compromise.
The Victorians made a compromise between these two aspects and hide them behind optimism and hypocrisy.
The ideal Victorian woman was an “angel in the house”, her place was in the house, she was pious, respectable and busy wife, mother and daughter
Victorian women did not have the same rights as men, they had limited education and, therefore, limited employment opportunities
IN MEMORIAM
This poem deals with Tennyson’s visit to his friend Arthur’s house and the sorrow he feels because of his death. It is about the separation of two friend by death. The poet uses the adjective “dark” to explain his sadness. (…) This sentence means that anyway life goes on and can be connected with the song..
BREAK BREAK BREAK
In this poem Tennyson is in a bay and he is looking out to the Sea, which is personified. In this particular moment, Tennyson feels as he is overcome by a great number of thoughts. In this poem he seems to be a painter, which paints some scene of everyday life. In fact, thanks to his words, the reader is able to “see” two children, playing on the beach, or a sailor, singing on his boat. This scenes seems to be pervaded by quietness and tranquillity, but it’s only appearance, considering that the poet always thinks about his dead friend.
Domande da interrogazione
- Quali furono le principali caratteristiche dell'età vittoriana?
- Come venivano percepite le donne durante l'età vittoriana?
- Quali temi affronta Tennyson nelle sue poesie "In Memoriam" e "Break Break Break"?
L'età vittoriana fu caratterizzata da una crescita economica grazie allo sviluppo dell'industria e dei trasporti, e da un'espansione politica con l'impero britannico che raggiunse enormi proporzioni. Fu anche un periodo di riforme sociali, come gli atti sulle fabbriche e l'istruzione elementare gratuita e obbligatoria.
Le donne vittoriane erano viste come "angeli del focolare", il loro posto era in casa e dovevano essere pie, rispettabili e occupate come mogli, madri e figlie. Non avevano gli stessi diritti degli uomini, con un'istruzione e opportunità lavorative limitate.
In "In Memoriam", Tennyson esprime il dolore per la morte del suo amico Arthur, mentre in "Break Break Break" descrive scene di vita quotidiana pervase da tranquillità apparente, ma sempre con il pensiero rivolto al suo amico defunto.
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