Characteristics of Victorian Britain

The modern period of progress and unrest when Victoria become queen in 1837, English literature
seemed to have entered upon a period of lean years, in marked contrast with the poetic fruitfulness of
the romantic age which we have just studied. Coleridge, Shelley, Keats Byron and scot had passed
away and it seemed as if there were no writers in England to fill their place. Words worth had written
in1835.

Like clouds that rake the mountain summits or waves that own no Curbing hand, How fast has
brother followed brother, from sunshine to the sunless land I
Victorian literature, from the 1830s to the 1870s, Britain underwent changes that transformed the lives of its people:

British manufacturing became dominant in the world and trade and the financial sector also grew significantly

The rail network, begun in the 1830s, was largely completed by the 1870s and had a great effect not only on the
accessibility of travel and speed of movement but also on the appearance of the countryside

British power and influence overseas expanded and seemed to be permanent

The population grew enormously, from around 12 million in 1812 to 25 million by 1870

This period also saw a significant shift of population from the countryside to the towns and the consequent
growth of large cities.

An age of optimism
The Victorian age was a turbulent period which, in many ways, saw itself as a time of confident progress. Many people
believed that Britain was leading the world into a new and better age:

Social concern
However, these changes were not always positive. The daily needs and problems of ordinary people included: poverty,
poor housing, ill health, a horrifying level of child mortality, hunger, long hours of grinding labour.

The rapid changes of the time benefited some people long before others. The social focus of many Victorian novels posed
key moral and social questions about issues such as:

The need for schooling and the care of orphans and other deprived children
Cruelty to children and the corruption of children by criminals
The problems created by emphasis on social class and newly acquired wealth
The problems created by rapid industrialization and urbanization and the conflict between employers and workers.
The British Empire
The period spanning from late nineteenth century to the early twentieth century has been described as one of high
empire.' During this time, Britain took over a huge amount of territory and colonized a massive proportion of the world's
inhabitants. The writings that emerged from both the colonizers and colonized peoples throughout the period express a
self-conscious approach to the notions of empire and expansionism.
PESSIMISM, OPTIMISM AND IDEALISM
God is in the Heaven All is right with the world. Browning
In Seven Lamp of Architecture Ruskin brings optimism and faith.
Between the two worlds, One is dead, The other powerless to be born . - Mathew Arnold
No romantic vesture in them. More novels showing the problems of contemporary society The Victorian poets
and novelists added humanity to nature.