Concetti Chiave
- Victorian literature reflected the period's spiritual uncertainty, economic challenges, and moral dilemmas.
- The Reform Act of 1832 enabled more men to participate in Parliament, amidst growing economic disparities and harsh labor conditions.
- Society responded to social evils with protective laws for women and children, support for the unemployed, and widespread philanthropic efforts.
- Writers of the era, like Dickens and Brontë, depicted the struggles of the humble, blending reality with fiction to critique societal issues.
- Main Victorian novelists each offered a distinct narrative style, from Thackeray's gentle satire to Eliot's realistic portrayals of ordinary life.
What is the historical and social context?
Victorian Prose, as well as Poetry, reflected the spiritual uncertainty, the economic ills, and the moral problems of the day.
a) The historical and social background
In 1829, Catholics were admitted to Parliament; and in 1832, the Reform Act enfranchised thousands of men and so allowed them to make themselves heard in Parliament. Scientific discoveries resulted in further unemployment. As a consequence, the gulf between the few rich and the many poor was widened. Factory production caused human exploitation, child labour, and mass misery. Women often worked 14 or 16 hours a day in the coal mines, crawling on their hands and knees in the narrow passages, like beast of burden, drawing their loaded cars.
b) The reaction against the social evil
1.
The reaction against social evil
Laws were passed for the protection of women and children
2. A poor law was voted to assist the unemployed, and workshops were created
3. A philanthropic movement spread throughout the country in favour of the poor and the destitute
4. Writers denounced the evils of the day and pictured the lives of the humbles, thus creating the
5. Chief novelists of the period are:
The main novelists of the period
The plot of the novels was generally very long and complicated by many sub-plots: the writer also wanted to give a marked impression of reality so that he presented not only the adventures of the main characters, but also those of the secondary ones.
Thackeray does not call forth bursts of rollicking laughter, like Dickens; nor does he open so wide the gates of tears. But his gentle and kindly satire is exquisitely humorous, and simple, direct pathos of extraordinary power.
Dickens's pathos, find her origin in a heart-felt sympathy for all the wronged, for all the victims of life; neither can he sternest-minded reader remain unperturbed by his high spirits and inexhaustible humour, everywhere present and always delightfully blended in the writings of Dickens
The peculiar charm of Miss Brontë's works arise from a passionate sincerity of feeling combined with great directness and beauty of expression. Her characters are drawn from life; in fact all her novels are more or less autobiographical.
George Eliot delights in painting plain and ordinary characters. Her descriptions of the farmers and lower middle-class people of the Midlands glow with humorous realism, and are pervaded with a sense of generous and gentle humanity.
Meredith is a master of humour and pathos, and, to a larger extent perhaps than any other English novelist, a poet in prose. Many critics consider him as the greatest novelist of his age.
Domande da interrogazione
- What were the key social issues during the Victorian era as reflected in its prose?
- How did society react to the social evils of the Victorian period?
- What distinguishes the main novelists of the Victorian period?
- How did the structure and style of Victorian novels contribute to their impact?
Victorian prose highlighted spiritual uncertainty, economic problems, and moral issues, with significant social challenges such as unemployment due to scientific discoveries, a widening gap between rich and poor, and exploitation in factories, including child labor and harsh conditions for women.
Society responded by passing laws to protect women and children, implementing a poor law to aid the unemployed, establishing workshops, and fostering a philanthropic movement to support the poor and destitute. Writers also played a role by denouncing societal evils and depicting the lives of the humble.
Victorian novelists like Thackeray, Dickens, Brontë, Eliot, and Meredith each had unique styles. Thackeray was known for gentle satire, Dickens for heartfelt sympathy and humor, Brontë for passionate sincerity, Eliot for realistic depictions of ordinary characters, and Meredith for his poetic prose and mastery of humor and pathos.
Victorian novels were often long with complex plots and sub-plots, aiming to create a strong sense of reality by detailing the adventures of both main and secondary characters. This approach allowed novelists to explore and critique the social issues of their time deeply.
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