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    The Victorian Novel

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    sayazhan.ereymen

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    The Victorian Novel

    Uploaded by

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    51 views8 pages

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    51 views8 pages

    The Victorian Novel

    Uploaded by

    sayazhan.ereymen

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    By Olivia Wilson

    The
    Victorian
    novel
    01 Introduction
    The 19th century is considered by some to be
    the Golden Age of English Literature, especially
    for British novels.[1] It was in the Victorian era
    that the novel became the leading literary
    genre in English. English writing from this era
    reflects the major transformations in most
    aspects of English life, from scientific,
    economic, and technological advances to
    changes in class structures and the role of
    religion in society
    02
    The number of new novels published each year
    increased from 100 at the start of the period to
    1000 by the end of it.[3] Famous novelists from
    this period include Charles Dickens, William
    Makepeace Thackeray, the three Brontësisters,
    Elizabeth Gaskell, George Eliot (Mary Ann Evans),
    Thomas Hardy, and Rudyard Kipling.
    03 The 1830s and 1840s saw the rise of social
    novel. This was in many ways a reaction to
    rapid industrialization, and the social,
    political and economic issues associated
    with it, and was a means of commenting
    on abuses of government and industry and
    the suffering of the poor, who were not
    profiting from England's economic
    prosperity. Stories of the working class
    poor were directed toward middle class to
    help create sympathy and promote change.
    04
    While the Romantic period was a time of abstract
    expression and inward focus, essayists, poets, and
    novelists during the Victorian era began to direct
    their attention toward the social issues. Writers
    such as Thomas Carlyle called attention to the
    dehumanizing effects of the Industrial Revolution
    and what Carlyle called the "Mechanical Age".[4]
    [5] This awareness inspired the subject matter of
    other authors, like poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning
    and novelists Charles Dickens and Thomas Hardy.
    06 Poetry and theatre were also present during the
    Victorian era. Robert Browning and Alfred Tennyson
    were Victorian England's most famous poets.[9] With
    regard to the theatre it was not until the last decades
    of the 19th century that any significant works were
    produced. Notable playwrights of the time include
    Gilbert and Sullivan, George Bernard Shaw, and Oscar
    Wilde.[10]
    The greatness of the novelists of this period lies not only
    in their truthful description of contemporary life, but also
    in their profound humanism. They believed in the good
    qualities of the human heart and expressed their hopes
    for a better future. The poorest, the most unprivileged
    sections of the population were described by Charles
    Dickens. He looked into the darkest corners of the large
    cities.
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