What are the Characteristics of Victorian literature?
The Victorian period (in English lit) is roughly from 1837 to 1901 – the span of Queen Victoria’s reign. It’s divided into two parts – early (to 1870) and late. Anyhow this period saw a rapid advance in technology changes in politics and socioeconomic change – due to the Industrial Revolution. During the Victorian period there were some different movements involved in literature – realism, Pre-Raphaelitism and Aestheticism. Much of the writing of this time dealt with the pressing issues of the time. “The common conception we know have of the Victorians as prudish, hypocritical, stuffy, narrow-minded, and complacent is not entirely true.” The English middle -class was rather stuffy and Victorian writers did dance around some subjects using euphemisms – like sex – and these subjects often are dealt with more directly in other types of literature. Still – the major stereotype of Victorian era literature is that it is pious and proper. Famous Victorian era writers: Thomas Caryle, John Stua
