Topic 50: The Victorian Novel

(Introduction) The aim of this topic is to provide a detailed analysis of The Victorian Novel,

giving a parallel account of the most important historical movements of the time.

(Introduction) Victorian literature refers to that written during the reign of Queen Victoria,

an era which is widely considered to be the Golden Age of English Literature.

(Introduction) During this time, the novel became

the leading literary genre in English.

(Introduction) Victorian novels reflect significant changes in society, including

scientific, economic, and technological advances, as well as shifts in class structures and the role of religion.

(Introduction) Famous novelists from this period include

Charles Dickens, William Thackeray, the three Brontë sisters, George Eliot, and Thomas Hardy, among others.

The Victorian Times YEARS

1837-1901

The Victorian Era goes from 1837 to 1901,

the dates of the reign of the great Queen Victoria.

The Victorian Era is characterised mainly by the extension of the British Empire,

which led to a period of great political and economic strength, and by the social effects of the industrial revolution.

(The British Empire) During the industrialisation of Britain, the colonies

served as suppliers of cheap raw materials to their industries.

(The British Empire) When Queen Victoria was reigning, Britain had become

the richest country in the world due to industrialisation.

(The British Empire) Although Britain lost direct control over several of its colonies during the 19^th century,

such as Canada and New Zealand, the Victorian era is considered as the Golden Era of the Empire.

(The British Empire) Middle class economic growth came together with

the rise of population, from 16 million to 37 million.

(The British Empire) This caused a huge demand for food, clothes and houses

along with an increase in emigration to the new territories of the Empire.

(The British Empire) This caused a huge demand for food, clothes and houses along with an increase in emigration to the new territories of the Empire. For example,

the Hunger years (1846-48) in Ireland provoked mass emigration to the States.

(The British Empire) For example, the Great Famine (1845-52)

in Ireland provoked mass emigration to the States.

(The British Empire) The Industrial Revolution led to

the urbanization of the country, mass production, division of labour, improved transportation, e.g. growth of railways, and the rise of the middle class.

(The British Empire) The social transition was a peaceful progress, influenced by

fear of revolution from the continent and utilitarian ideology.

The Hunger Years YEARS

1846-1848

(The British Empire) There was a crisis of faith due to

the contradiction between Darwin’s new theory of evolution and the Bible.

(The British Empire) Some Acts were included which aimed to improve living and working conditions, e.g.

the Public Health Act and the Factory Act of 1875, which set a maximum of 56-hour working week.

(The British Empire) Some Acts were included which aimed to improve living and working conditions, e.g. the Public Health Act and the Factory Act of 1875, which

set a maximum of 56-hour working week.

The novel became prominent in the 18^th century, and was consolidated in the 19^th century,

which was the golden age of the novel.

There were several elements which characterised Victorian novels:

• They tended to be very long, being plot-heavy.

• Victorian fiction was frequently published in serial form, often in weekly or monthly instalments in magazines.

• Victorian novels were used as a social portrait of English life, these novels were frequently about upper-middle-class Englishmen in London

• Early Victorian novelists reinforced Victorian respectability, e.g. taboo on sex whereas late Victorian novelists questioned this respectability, embracing a new perspective on sex.

They tended to be very long, being plot-heavy; thus,

requiring more attentive and self-conscious reading.

Victorian fiction was frequently published in serial form,

often in weekly or monthly instalments in magazines.

Victorian novels were used as a social portrait of English life, these novels were frequently about upper-middle-class Englishmen in London,

exploring themes related the emerging middle class and the manners and expectations of this class, as opposed to the aristocratic norms dominating previous years.

Early Victorian novelists

reinforced Victorian respectability, e.g. taboo on sex whereas

late Victorian novelists

questioned this respectability, embracing a new perspective on sex.

Early Victorian novelists reinforced Victorian respectability, e.g. taboo on sex whereas

late Victorian novelists questioned this respectability, embracing a new perspective on sex.

Thomas Carlyle's Chartism (1839) introduced the term

'Condition of England Question' (also Condition of England Novels)

Thomas Carlyle's Chartism (1839) introduced the term 'Condition of England Question' (also Condition of England Novels)

referring to works dealing with the social situation in England, that aimed to connect with the contemporary social and political issues of the moment.

Condition of England novels: works dealing with the social situation in England, that aimed to connect with the contemporary social and political issues of the moment.

They focused on the representation of class and labour relations.

For example, Elizabeth Gaskell’s Mary Barton (1848),

which dealt with the relations between employers and workers.

(Charles Dickens) Born at

Portsmouth, he was the son of a minor government clerk.

(Charles Dickens) They moved to London where he grew up

in great poverty with little education.

(Charles Dickens) When he was ten, his father was arrested for debts and the whole family

-except Charles- joined him in Debtor’s prison.

(Charles Dickens) Young Charles was forced

to work in a factory to feed them all.

(Charles Dickens) He attended school until he was 15,

teaching himself shorthand, and then became a parliamentary reporter.

(Charles Dickens) He gained recognition and financial ease with

The Pickwick Papers.

(Charles Dickens) He married

Catherine Hogarth with whom he had ten children.

(Charles Dickens) He travelled to Europe and the United States in

his reading tours which were successful but exhausting.

(Charles Dickens) Finally, he died

at the age of 58.

(Dickens’ works) His main concerns in his works were

the analysis and description of society in England, he studied the economic measures oppressing the poor.

(Dickens’ works) The settings of his novels were

mostly poor, devastated surroundings. For instance, his realistic depictions of industrial towns in Hard Times

(Dickens’ works) His works attempted to expose social injustices and

to promote humanitarian alternatives to radical ideologies with the aim of improving social conditions.

(Dickens’ works) Dickens resorted

to his experience of life to carefully depict his characters.

Dickens’ works

• Autobiographical novels: David Copperfield (1850)

• Semi-autobiographical novels: Great Expectations (1861)

• Historical novels: A tale of Two Cities (1859)

• Social novels:

  • Oliver Twist (1837)

  • A Christmas Carol (1843)

• State-of-the novel: Hard Times (1854)

Dickens wrote autobiographical novels like

David Copperfield (1850)

semi-autobiographical novels like

Great Expectations (1861).

Dickens wrote historical novels such as

A tale of Two Cities (1859).

He also published social novels such as

Oliver Twist (1837) and A Christmas Carol (1843).

Oliver Twist (1837)

one of Dickens’ most memorable novels, a classic about Oliver the poorhouse boy and his adventures among the London underworld.

A Christmas Carol (1843)

Dickens’ classic about the ghosts of Christmas who help an old Scrooge find salvation.

Elizabeth Gaskell lived in

Manchester for many years and knew at first hand the effects of the industrialised districts. She died suddenly from heart failure at the age of 55.

Elizabeth Gaskell novels

• Mary Barton (1848)

• The Life of Charlotte Brontë

• North and South (1855)

• Wives and Daughters (1866)

In her first novel, Mary Barton (1848)

Gaskell denounces the selfishness and insensitivity of employers and describes poor people’s misery and pursuit of wealth.

Gaskell was greatly influenced by Dickens and was close friend with Charlotte Bronte -

whom she devoted her biography The Life of Charlotte Bronte after her death.

In her second novel, North and South (1855), Gaskell describes

the condition of England, the contrast between the comfortable agricultural South and the Industrial North.

In which novel does Gaskell describe the condition of England, the contrast between the comfortable agricultural South and the Industrial North?

North and South (1855)

In her last novel Wives and daughters (1866),

she shows the class structure of a provincial city and analyses women’s relationships.

Mary Barton YEAR

1848

North and South YEAR

1855

Wives and daughters YEAR

1866

David Copperfield YEAR

1850

Great Expectations YEAR

1861

Oliver Twist YEAR

1837

A Christmas Carol YEAR

1843

A Tale of Two Cities YEAR

1859

Hard Times YEAR

1854

The Brontë sisters

Charlotte, Emily and Anne were three influential 19^th-century English novelists and poets. They published their works under male pseudonyms, all sharing the surname: Bell. Although they wrote during the early Victorian era, their works showed many Romantic elements.

Jane Eyre

1847 (Charlotte)

Wuthering Heights

1847 (Emily)

(Jane Eyre) In this revolutionary novel, Charlotte, considered an early feminist, introduces a strong female protagonist named Jane Eyre. The novel explores

Jane Eyre’s feelings and personal experiences through her quest for self-identity and independence.

(Jane Eyre) Jane is in constant rebellion for liberty, fighting against

social ambiences she is forced to fit into.

Jane Eyre also includes Gothic elements like

the mysterious atmosphere of the setting (Thornfield Hall).

Emily’s Wuthering Heights, of Gothic style, was controversial since its release.

Despite the criticism, it became one of the most widely read English classics today.

(Wuthering Heights) It is a work of

black Romanticism, covering three generations.

(Wuthering Heights) It emphasised emotions through the characters of Catherine and Heathcliff and included Gothic elements

like Catherine as a ghost and a strong focus on individualism.

(Wuthering Heights) It emphasised emotions

through the characters of Catherine and Heathcliff and included

(Wuthering Heights) Gothic elements like

Catherine as a ghost and a strong focus on individualism.

William Makepeace Thackeray was

a renowned English novelist, poet and satirist.

Who started as a parodist, in prose and verse, mainly against Romanticism?

William Thackeray

(William Thackeray) He started as a

parodist, in prose and verse, mainly against Romanticism. His early works are full of literary parodies.

(William Thackeray) He is a great storyteller, he concentrated on the analysis of

both the upper-middle class and the aristocratic society, omitting the world of industrial capitalism and utilitarianism.

(William Thackeray) In his best-known novel Vanity Fair (1848), Thackeray

critiques through satire the obsession with wealth, status and materialism that characterised the 19^th century.

Vanity Fair (1848)

This novel is set at the time of the Napoleonic wars and has one of the most fascinating immoral female characters, Becky Sharp.

Vanity Fair YEAR

1848

Anthony Trollope was born in

London to a middle-class family. In his works he examined Victorian society, politics and class structures.

Anthony Trollope was a very prolific writer, producing

47 novels along with numerous short stories, essays and travel books.

Anthony Trollope’s writing was marked by its social realism,

keen observation of character and insightful critique of both the upper and middle classes.

Whom writing was marked by its social realism?

Anthony Trollope

Anthony Trollope created a religious atmosphere in

• The Warden (1855)

• Barchester Towers (1857)

Anthony Trollope’s characters were engaged in politics in

• Phineas Finn

• The Prime Minister

• The last Chronicle of Barset

“There is no happiness in love, except at the end of an English novel”

• Anthony Trollope, Barchester Tower, 1857

The Warden YEAR

1855

Barchester Towers YEAR

1857

William Wilkie Collins, considered

the inventor of the Sensation Novel, was the son of a popular portrait artist.

(Wilkie Collins) Although he studied law, he never practised, and

he adopted literature as his profession instead.

(Wilkie Collins) His close friendship with Charles Dickens

was a significant influence on his career.

The Sensation novel

is a type of Victorian novel whose main subject is mystery and crime, using suspense as its primary narrative technique. It appeals directly to the readers' sensations by provoking fear, excitement and uncertainty usually within a context of social abuse.