Quests in Victorian and Modern Times

Quests in Victorian and Modern Times

The idea of a quest was not only prevalent in the Victorian's stories and poetry, but it is also widely seen in modern novels. In order to discuss the idea of a quest in relation to literature, the definition of the word quest must first be established. A quest is a journey in search of adventure or a hunt. The idea of a quest was used very frequently in the Victorian times. Some of the more famous Victorians that used the idea of a quest in their poetry and stories are Alfred, Lord Tennyson, Robert Browning, and Charles Dickens. The people during the Victorian times liked literature that told stories about subjects in their own world such as "the middle-class struggle for financial security, social acceptance, and love in marriage" (Pfordresher et al. 547). This is the reason why so many Victorians chose to write using the idea of the quest; they wrote about quests because that is what the people wanted to read about. Two characters from some of the more popular Victorian poems about quests are Prospice and the character from the poem "Crossing the Bar," and a character from a modern novel is Dirk Pitt from Clive Cussler's novels. These characters will be compared in their resemblance to the idea of a quest.

The poem "Crossing the Bar" by Tennyson is a good example of a poem about a quest. The journey taken by the character in this poem is the beginning of a quest into the unknown. This is supported by the lines "For though from out our bourne of Time and Place, / The flood may bear me far," ("Crossing the Bar" 13-14) (Pfordresher et al. 572). The character is out of his limit of time and place so he is going into the unknown. The character's attitude in this poem is very hopeful and positive. He is looking forward to take on this new quest. The only goal the character seeks is to "see the Pilot face to face" after crossing the bar and basically make it back home again (Pfordresher et al. 573). This short poem is a great example of the idea of a quest.

The poem by Robert Browning called "Prospice" is also a good example of a poem using the idea of a quest.