Paper 104 : Thematic study of Victorian Age

This blog is part of an assignment for the paper 104 -  Literature of the Victorians , Sem - 1, 2024.

personal Information:-

Name:- Krishna Vala 

Batch:- M.A. Sem 1 (2024-2026)

Enrollment Number:- 5108240037

E-mail Address:-krishnavala2005@gmail.com

Roll Number:- 12

Assignment Details:-

Topic:- Thematic study of the Victorian Era

Paper & subject code:- 104- Literature of the Victorians.

Submitted to:- Smt. Sujata Binoy Gardi, Department of English, MKBU, Bhavnagar. 

Date of Submission:- 20 November,2023

words : 2,204

Table of contents :

• Introduction
• Victorian age : Overview
• Major events of the Victorian Era
• All themes of the Era
• Impact on Literature
• Conclusion

Thematic study of the Victorian Era

Abstract :

Victorian era was marked by many changes like growth of population, improvement in technology, industrial revolution etc. So these many events represent the theme of industrialism and Utiterialism , social class, importance of marriages etc. These themes mainly explore in the work of famous writers of the age like Thomas Hardy, Oscar Wilde, Charles Dickens etc. So this paper represent the thematic study of Victorian Era. 

Introduction

The Victorian Age, spanning the reign of Queen Victoria from 1837 to 1901, marks a pivotal era in English literature, characterised by rapid social, economic, and technological changes. This period saw Britain rise as a global power, buoyed by industrial advancements and colonial expansion. These shifts catalysed a rich literary output, with themes addressing the complexities of modernization, class struggle, and moral dilemmas.Victorian literature often reflects the era's preoccupation with social issues, such as poverty, labour exploitation, and the role of women. Writers like Charles Dickens exposed the harsh realities of industrialization, particularly in urban settings, while others, like Elizabeth Barrett Browning and the Brontë sisters, explored personal and emotional dimensions, often challenging conventional gender roles.

Thematically, Victorian literature grapples with questions of faith and doubt, particularly as scientific discoveries—most notably Darwin's theory of evolution—began to challenge traditional religious beliefs. This tension between faith and reason is a recurring theme, explored in works by authors like Thomas Hardy and Matthew Arnold.

In essence, the Victorian Age provides a thematic landscape rich with moral inquiry, social critique, and a search for identity amidst a rapidly changing world. This period not only captures the struggles of its time but also lays the groundwork for modern themes, making it essential for understanding the evolution of English literature.

Overview

In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the reign of Queen Victoria, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. Slightly different definitions are sometimes used. The era followed the Georgian era and preceded the Edwardian era, and its later half overlaps with the first part of the Belle Époque era of continental Europe.

Various liberalising political reforms took place in the UK, including expanding the electoral franchise. The Great Famine caused mass death in Ireland early in the period. The British Empire had relatively peaceful relations with the other great powers. It participated in various military conflicts mainly against minor powers. The British Empire expanded during this period and was the predominant power in the world.

Victorian society valued a high standard of personal conduct across all sections of society. The emphasis on morality gave impetus to social reform but also placed restrictions on certain groups' liberty. Prosperity rose during the period, but debilitating undernutrition persisted. Literacy and childhood education became near universal in Great Britain for the first time. Whilst some attempts were made to improve living conditions, slum housing and disease remained a severe problem.

The period saw significant scientific and technological development. Britain was advanced in industry and engineering in particular, but somewhat undeveloped in art and education. Great Britain's population increased rapidly, while Ireland's fell sharply.

Major event of the Era

So, Victorian literature is just literature written during the reign of Queen Victoria in Great Britain. So, Queen Victoria reigned from 1837-1901.

Some major events that took place during the Victoria era include:

1.Growth of population

A huge growth in population. During Victoria's reign, the population of England more than doubled, from 14 million to 32 million.Between 1801 and 1871 alone the population of the UK doubled. Migration in both directions was a feature of Victorian life. Many Britons left the UK for North America or the colonies in search of a better life. The Irish poor formed a large number of these migrants, especially after the Irish potato famine in 1845: the Irish moved in large numbers to England and Scotland, as well as abroad. 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.

2.Improvement in technology

There were also some significant improvements in technology. The Victorian era slightly overlaps with Britain's Industrial Revolution, which saw big changes to the way that people lived, worked, and traveled. These improvements in technology offered a lot of opportunities for the people in England but also represented a major upheaval in regards to how people lived their lives and interacted with the world.

3.Changing world view

Another characteristic of the Victorian era are changing world views. In addition to the major developments in technology, there were emerging scientific beliefs, like Charles Darwin's theory of evolution, and those things were changing how people in England thought about themselves and how they interacted with the world around them. Most notably, a lot of people were distancing themselves from the church.

4.Poor conditions for the working class

And finally, there were poor conditions for the working class. The Industrial Revolution led to the distance between the haves and have-nots growing at a really high rate, and a lot of people (especially artists, like writers) felt obligated to speak out against what they believed to be societal injustices, which if you've followed any of the 'We are the 99%' movement, it might sound familiar to things that are happening right now.

5. Industrial revolution

This was made up of technological, scientific and industrial innovations (e.g. mass production, steam engines, railways, sewing machines, gas and electric light, the telegraph) that led to an enormous expansion of production, particularly through the factory system. There were huge social costs: the dehumanisation of work, child labour, pollution, and the growth of cities where poverty, filth and disease flourished. Child labour and poverty were also a feature of rural life, where farm work involved long hours, very low pay and exposure to all weathers.

Major events of the Victorian era are essential to understand because they define the themes of the period.

All themes of victorian Era

Exploring themes from the Victorian era through Charles Dickens' Hard Times, Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest, and Thomas Hardy's Jude the Obscure reveals a nuanced perspective on Victorian society, particularly its attitudes toward industrialization, social class, morality, marriage, and individual identity. Here’s how these works examine and critique key elements of Victorian life:

1. Industrialization and Utilitarianism (Hard Times)

In Hard Times, Dickens critiques the utilitarian mindset prevalent during the Industrial Revolution, which emphasized factual knowledge and economic productivity at the expense of imagination and compassion. The character of Mr. Thomas Gradgrind, a strict adherent to "facts and figures," represents this philosophy, fostering a rigid, joyless environment that suppresses human emotions and creativity.

Dickens uses Coketown, an industrial city, to illustrate the bleak effects of mechanized labor and industrial pollution on the working class. He vividly portrays the drudgery, alienation, and dehumanization experienced by laborers, challenging Victorian readers to confront the harsh realities behind the era’s economic progress.

Hard Times thus critiques the industrial age's disregard for individuality and human empathy, emphasizing the need for a balance between rationality and compassion.

2. Satire of Social Class and Marriage (The Importance of Being Earnest)

Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest is a satirical comedy that exposes the triviality and hypocrisy of the Victorian upper class, particularly through its portrayal of marriage and identity. Wilde mocks the absurdity of Victorian social conventions, where superficial appearances and social standing often overshadow genuine emotions or virtues.

The characters’ obsession with names, inheritance, and family lineage reveals the ridiculousness of a class system that values status over character. Wilde’s characters, like Lady Bracknell, epitomize the Victorian elite’s materialism and preoccupation with social “earnestness”—a concept Wilde humorously subverts to question whether Victorian morality is truly sincere or simply a performance.

By treating marriage as a strategic social arrangement rather than a romantic union, Wilde critiques the institution’s role in perpetuating the era’s rigid social norms.

3. Critique of Social and Religious Constraints (Jude the Obscure)

In Jude the Obscure, Thomas Hardy examines the oppressive social and religious constraints faced by individuals seeking personal and intellectual freedom. Jude Fawley’s aspirations for education and social mobility are thwarted by rigid class distinctions, as well as by the university system’s exclusivity, which denies opportunities to the lower classes.

Hardy critiques the institution of marriage, portraying it as a restrictive social construct that traps individuals in unhappy relationships. Jude’s doomed relationships with both Arabella and Sue Bridehead reveal the social pressures and moral expectations that often undermine personal happiness.

The novel also highlights the tension between religious orthodoxy and individual desires. Hardy, a skeptic of organized religion, suggests that Victorian moral expectations, especially regarding marriage and sexuality, are stifling and often harmful to individuals, illustrating the limits of Victorian values.

Shared Themes and Critiques

Together, these works reveal a complex tapestry of Victorian life:

Realism : In the Victorian Age aimed to portray life accurately and honestly, focusing on everyday people, settings, and social issues. Victorian writers like Charles Dickens and George Eliot used realism to highlight the struggles of the working class, the impacts of industrialization, and the complexities of social relationships. By avoiding romanticized portrayals, these authors emphasized moral questions, class tensions, and the often harsh realities of society. This commitment to depicting life as it truly was made realism one of the defining themes of Victorian literature, bridging storytelling with social critique.

Conflict Between Society and the Individual: Hard Times, The Importance of Being Earnest, and Jude the Obscure all portray individuals struggling against societal expectations. While Dickens and Hardy approach this struggle from a realist perspective, Wilde’s satire highlights the absurdity of social norms.

Critique of Institutions: Whether it’s the education system in Hard Times, the institution of marriage in The Importance of Being Earnest, or religion and academia in Jude the Obscure, all three works critique institutions that uphold rigid societal structures, often at the cost of personal happiness.

Questioning of Morality and Values: Wilde’s wit, Dickens’ pathos, and Hardy’s tragic realism explore and challenge Victorian morality. Each author, through different genres and tones, exposes the limitations of a value system that prioritizes duty and decorum over compassion, individuality, and personal fulfillment.

Through the lens of these works, Victorian themes like industrialization, class, and morality are revealed to be both limiting and deeply flawed, encouraging readers to rethink the values of progress, respectability, and personal autonomy in a rapidly changing world.

Impact on Literature

Novel: The Victorian novel flourished with authors like Charles Dickens, George Eliot, and the Brontë sisters. Novels reflected concerns about class, morality, and industrialization.

Poetry: Alfred Lord Tennyson, Robert Browning, and Matthew Arnold dominated 

with works focusing on personal loss, social issues, and philosophical reflections. 

Drama: Though not as prominent as in the Elizabethan Age, playwrights like Oscar Wilde and George Bernard Shaw contributed to social critique through comedy and satire.

Essay and Criticism: Figures like Thomas Carlyle, John Ruskin, and Matthew Arnold shaped the intellectual landscape with their essays on society, politics, and art.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, studying the themes of Victorian literature reveals how writers of the time explored the big social, moral, and personal questions people were dealing with in the 19th century. As industrialization changed everyday life, authors like Charles Dickens and Elizabeth Gaskell highlighted the struggles of the working class and the effects of poverty. Issues around class, gender, and morality also became major themes, with writers like Thomas Hardy and George Eliot questioning rigid social norms and exploring the limitations placed on individuals, especially women.

Victorian literature often used realism to portray life as it was, showing readers the harsh realities of society while also criticizing the moral standards that sometimes caused harm. The Gothic revival added darker elements, reflecting the fears people had about science, city life, and even British colonial expansion. Together, these themes helped Victorian literature not only reflect its time but also critique it.

Overall, Victorian literature captures the conflicts between progress and tradition, duty and personal happiness, and social expectation and individual freedom. Its stories continue to resonate because they address questions about society and identity that still matter today.

Reference

Roach, John. “Liberalism and the Victorian Intelligentsia.” The Cambridge Historical Journal, vol. 13, no. 1, 1957, pp. 58–81. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/3020631. Accessed 17 Nov. 2024.

teinbach, Susie. “Victorian era | History, Society, and Culture.” Encyclopedia Britannica, 25 Oct. 2024, www.britannica.com/event/Victorian-era

S         BBC - History -      British History in depth: Victorian Technology. 17 Feb. 2011, www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/victorians/victorian_technology_01.shtml.

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