Victorian Era (1837-1901) – Context, Culture & Literature

Flashcards cover historical context, social structure, key movements, authors, themes, techniques, and the era’s legacy.

During which years did the Victorian Era occur, and whose reign defined it?

1837–1901, the reign of Queen Victoria.

What economic transformation most characterized Victorian Britain?

Rapid industrialization that changed society and the economy.

Which social class grew significantly due to new economic opportunities in the Victorian Era?

The middle class.

What major demographic shift accompanied industrialization in Victorian Britain?

A movement from rural to urban living as people sought factory work.

Name two key transportation and communication advances of the Victorian period.

The railway system and the telegraph.

Which scientific theory by Charles Darwin challenged traditional beliefs in the era?

The theory of evolution by natural selection.

What 1832 and 1867 legislative acts expanded voting rights in Britain?

The First and Second Reform Acts.

How were Victorian social classes typically divided?

Into upper, middle, and working classes.

What ideology idealized women’s roles within the home during the era?

The “cult of domesticity.”

Which religious movement emphasized personal piety and moral reform?

Evangelicalism.

Which literary movement aimed to depict everyday life truthfully and objectively?

Realism.

What offshoot of Realism stressed heredity and environment as determinants of fate?

Naturalism.

Which movement championed ‘art for art’s sake’?

Aestheticism.

Name the artistic group that sought to revive pre-Renaissance sincerity.

The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood.

What genre of popular Victorian fiction featured scandal and suspense?

Sensation novels.

Which enduring Gothic elements persisted in Victorian literature?

Mystery, horror, and the supernatural.

Which Dickens novel portrays child poverty and crime in London?

Oliver Twist.

Who wrote Middlemarch, a novel probing provincial life and moral dilemmas?

George Eliot (Mary Ann Evans).

Name two major novels by Thomas Hardy that criticize social constraints.

Tess of the d’Urbervilles and Jude the Obscure.

Which author of The Picture of Dorian Gray embodied Victorian Aestheticism?

Oscar Wilde.

Who was Poet Laureate famed for ‘In Memoriam A.H.H.’?

Alfred, Lord Tennyson.

Which Victorian poetess authored Sonnets from the Portuguese?

Elizabeth Barrett Browning.

What novel by Emily Brontë explores passionate love and revenge?

Wuthering Heights.

Which Charlotte Brontë novel challenged gender and class norms?

Jane Eyre.

Identify a recurring Victorian literary theme concerning social hierarchy.

Examination of social class and its effects on opportunity and identity.

How did Victorian writers often address gender roles?

By questioning traditional expectations and depicting women’s oppression.

Which theme captured the clash between factories and the natural world?

Industrialization versus nature.

What narrative technique features an all-knowing storyteller?

Omniscient narration.

Define ‘serialization’ in the Victorian literary context.

Publishing novels in periodic installments, affecting structure and pacing.

What is a Bildungsroman?

A coming-of-age novel tracing the protagonist’s psychological and moral growth.

Which poetic form did Robert Browning popularize to reveal inner conflict?

The dramatic monologue.

How did Dickens’ works influence social reform?

By exposing poverty and injustice, they galvanized public demand for change.

Which later movement built on Victorian realism and psychological depth?

Modernism.

How did Victorian literature aid the spread of English globally?

Through the British Empire’s expansion and worldwide circulation of texts.