During Queen Victoria's reign in England, ideals and the very thought of going against the “current” was born and passed along, embellishing into our mainstream personal views on practically everything. Throughout her reign of 64 years, till her death in 1901, England saw changes that changed their own way of doing things, their own way of thinking and refining their views to the point where it represented their work and no one could disagree with them. It was during her successful reign in England that incomprehensible things took place that changed history within such fields and specialties as art, literature, music, philosophy, sciences, and modern inventions. It is because of this time period, known as the Victorian Era, we have many of the modern conveniences, ideas, philosophies, and knowledge that we enjoy, and take for granted, on a daily basis. This period bridged the gap from the dark and medieval ages to our present and productive day. Authors, playwrights, and philosophers documented the changes that society underwent during the Victorian era. Oscar Wilde’s The importance of being earnest and even Charles Dicken’s works have included these such changes in society. This would not have come about without the influence of the ideas and works of several people from Britain, living under Monnin 2 Queen Victoria's reign. Britain civilians felt free to express their own thoughts and even put it into art or their own philosophy and that was O.K. The start of actual “ideals” would have seemed irrelevant now in the modern era if it had not been brought up during the Victorian Era under the ruling of the late Queen Victoria. Queen Victoria’s legacy began as normal as any other legacy would have started. She was born in 181... ... middle of paper ... ...sets and fashion forward day-to-day routines, our complex world now would be a simple, plain world. Each of the points covered above briefly tell the story of the Victorian period. The innovations, the failures that lead to later on success, and even favorable fashion choices have done everything to changing modern ideals and values. The influence is strongly felt in our everyday lives. Whether it is through fashion, religion, education, or philosophy, the Victorian period proved to be the dominant influence. It bridged the gap between the slow moving and progressing past and the fast paced future world that we live in today. More was discovered in that short period of time then in the whole history of the world. That is a very impressive thing for such a diminutive period of time, yet its influence is great and will continually be felt for generations to come.
In the essay, Late Victorians written by Richard Rodriguez discusses an extremely controversial topic about homosexuality in San Francisco, California during the nineteenth century. Rodriguez begins his essay with a captivating perspective about human unhappiness as he writes, “Human unhappiness is evidence of our immortality,” (Rodriguez 121). This gripping statement conveys the meaning that happiness or forever happiness is an illusion, therefore it cannot exist in the individual's life. The main idea of the essay Late Victorians draws out numerous opinions because of the historical impact of this specific era. For example, the limitations of sexuality or thoughts about sexuality for women, and homosexuals. The reoccurring theme appears to be stereotypes of
A Fierce Discontent by Michael McGerr delves into the revolution of values from the victorian era to the progressive within the late nineteen century to the early twentieth century. McGerr’s major argument is the contrast between this set of values. The gilded age which McGerr focuses is the period where progressive values begin to take form and societal change ensues. The victorian values are values which epitomizes the British culture as just the name of the era is derived from queen Victoria. Alternatively the progressive era was a political reform focusing on anti corruption, women suffrage, and fixing the social problems plaguing society. McGerr argues that the victorian era and progressive era strikes few similarities within the
For it is a commonplace of our understanding of the period that the Victorian writer wanted above all to “stay in touch.” Comparing his situation with that of his immediate predecessors, he recognized that indulgence in a self-centered idealism was no longer viable in a society which ever more insistently urged total involvement in its occupations. The world was waiting to be improved upon, and solved, and everyone, poets, included had to busy themsel...
The Victorian Era started when Queen Victorian inherited the throne in 1837 and lasted till 1901. Over those years, England underwent “technological, commercial, and social developments that fundamentally changed English life, replacing the world into which Victoria was born with one that looks much more familiar to the twenty-first-century eye.” (Nelson 1). According to Houghton “never before had men thought of their own time as an era of change from the past to the future.”(1). England was in the period of transition, the change from the Middle Ages to the modern period. The old doctrines and institutions were attacked and modified and a new order was proposed. The Victorians had to live between two words,
The Victorian era in England marked a period of unprecedented technological, scientific, political, and economic advancement. By the 1840s, the English had witnessed remarkable industrial achievements including the advent of the railways and the photographic negative. They had witnessed the expansion of the Empire, and, as a result, were living in a time of great economic stability. Yet they had also seen thousands of people starving-and dying-due to the Irish potato famine and poor conditions and benefits in British factories and witnessed the entire order of society questioned as the working classes began to demand representation in Parliament. The English also experienced biological and scientific breakthroughs that challenged the once universally accepted beliefs in the authority of the Bible, the divine ordering of nature, and the gross exploitation of women and people of other races. It was a time of great achievement, yes, but it was also a time of great contradiction and uncertainty.
The morals of the Victorian Era gained renown for their strict socials roles that existed for both men and women. However, Oscar Wilde rejected these morals as he not only wrote characters but also acted as a character who flippantly disregarded the strict moral code. In his play The Importance of Being Earnest, Wilde elicits a thoughtful laughter through the constant hypocrisy and non-sequitous behaviours of Lady Bracknell. Wilde uses her to explore the hypocrisy that he detested within Victorian Society, and through Lady Bracknell’s commentary on gender roles and marital roles, Wilde illustrates his own personal contentions with Victorian morals.
The Victorian era established strict guidelines and definitions for the ladies and gentleman. Noble birth typically defined one as a "lady" or a "gentleman," but for women in this time period, socioeconomic rank and titles held no prestige or special privileges in a male-dominated society. Commonly, women in this era generally tried to gain more influence and respect but to no avail as their male counterparts controlled the ideals and practices of society. Women were subject to these ideals and practices without any legal or social rights or privileges. In the literary titles by Frances Power Cobbe, Sarah Stickney Ellis, Charlotte Bronte, Anne Bronte, John Henry Cardinal Newman, Sir Henry Newbolt, and Caroline Norton, the positions, opinions, and lifestyles of men and women during the Victorian era were clearly defined. Men in the Victorian era were raised to be intellectually and physically sound in order to be skillful in the workplace and the military while women were typically restricted to fulfilling roles within the home. As the female desire for equal rights and representation under the law mounted, an international vigor for female equality would produce a call for equality.
Lasting from 1837 to 1901, the Victorian Era followed the Romantic Era. Starting and ending with the reign of Queen Elizabeth, this time period is now viewed as strict, prudish, and “old fashioned,” especially in comparison to today. During those times, the people had to follow a certain standard of living; they were upright people that were modest and controlled. Society at the time adhered to rules such as wearing clothes that covered the women head to toe and abiding by the proper etiquette of following the lead of a host; these laws made the Victorian people’s lives proper. Although the Victorian people seemed to be perfect, this time was also filled with many questions and experiments, making this time period a very progressive one as well. It was a time when women and men alike started to try and bend the rules due to the unhappiness their forced lives brought. Women chose to embrace their bodies while society started to become more secular as opposed to focusing on religion. Although the Victorian society made similar mistakes to that of today, they always had a reason for doing it. The people of the Victorian Era, although surrounded by change, remained true to their values whether they were considered proprietary; and through this change moral values and ultimately society became corrupt.
There are many things about the Victorian Age that are different from our way of life today. Evidence of this can be found in such elements of the 1800's as courting manners, child- rearing, transportation, housing and careers. The novel and film Great Expectations give many examples of the contrast of the present and the past. Victorians were a very class-conscious society. These days, just about anyone can manage to have fairly nice clothes, a decent car, a place to live, and reasonable job security. Not so in Victorian times.
The Victorian Era in English history was a period of rapid change. One would be hard-pressed to find an aspect of English life in the 19th century that wasn’t subject to some turmoil. Industrialization was transforming the citizens into a working class population and as a result, it was creating new urban societies centered on the factories. Great Britain enjoyed a time of peace and prosperity at home and thus was extending its global reach in an era of New Imperialism. Even in the home, the long held beliefs were coming into conflict.
Victorianism “can be taken to mean the parent of the modern” (Landow). The term Victorianism refers to the attitudes, ways, ideas, changes and events of the Victorian Era. “The Victorian Era is generally agreed to stretch through the reign of Queen Victoria” (Miller), from 1837 to 1901. During this period, which was “sometimes called the Second English Renaissance” (Miller), the Victorians faced many modern problems. However, the Victorian Era was an age of power which allowed the Victorians to come up with modern solutions and ideas. First, “[I]n science and technology, the Victorians invented the modern idea of invention” (Landow). They created “the notion that one can create solutions to problems, that man can create new ways of bettering himself and the environment” (Landow). Victorians believed “that science and the practical men could change the world through invention and implementation” (MacRalid). The Victorians built “[s]team locomotion, iron, steel ships, telegraphy and many other developments” (MacRalid). Also, “Victorianism [was] associated with industrialism, urbanization, transport, technologies, travel and communication” (MacRalid). “In religion, the Victorians experienced a great age of doubt” (Landow). They started to question Christianity. As a result, “Victorianism balanced the ancient regime Anglicanism of the Church of England with a growing pluralism through alternative Christianities, new faiths and the toleration of unbelief” (MacRalid). Additionally, in politics, society, governance, economy, and culture “the Victorians created astonishing innovation and change” (Landow). For example, “democracy, feminism, socialism, Marxism and other modern movements took form” (Landow). “Modernity was fea...
"History in Focus." : The Victorian Era (Introduction). Institute of Historical Research., Apr. 2001. Web. 29 Mar. 2014.
The world transformed during the Victorian era. The previous era, romanticism, gained all of its beauty and inspiration from the environment; suddenly industry bloomed, and the nature that had acted as a muse for so many, was covered in bleak smog. As Queen Victoria took the throne, society had begun to formulate new rules and expectations for all groups of people. Suddenly women had strict expectations of them, religion became used excessively in all aspects of life, and the rich assumed themselves better than the poor. Camilla, Dracula, The Mask of Satan, and Pages from a Virgin’s Diary criticize the Victorian’s view on gender, religion, and socioeconomic classes. They created characters that were personifications of the problems of society
The Victorian era was more about social class and the economy; on the other hand, the Modern Literature was about showing what the world really looked like. Each era wanted to make a change in the world, they wanted to make an impact on the readers. Therefore, they wrote about politics, gender equality, economics, and social class. The Victorian age was from 1837 to 1901, it was a time of change during the ruling of Queen Victoria. The Modern Literature era also known as the twentieth century and after was from 1910 's to 2000 's in which increased popularity in literature due to the increasing of industrialization and globalization. Both of these eras made an impact towards world of literature, they showed either how the world was really like or they showed how the economic and social class. They may be different eras but they still had a chance to impact the world with there themes, subjects, purposes, and
The Romantic Era began in the late 18th century. It was a period of literature and arts.