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The Victorian
The Victorian
VICTORIAN
AGE
1837-1901
ANTECEDENTS OF THE NOVEL
its beginning can be traced back to 612 BC when world’s oldest
literature Epic of Gilgamesh was written
Homer, who lived in 700 or 800 BC, was the first notable poet or a
literary pioneer who wrote the famous Greek epics, The Iliad and
The Odyssey. He established the tradition of epic which had
particular structure and subject matter.
In 900 BC Roman poet Virgil produced epic poems Beowulf and
Aeneid with the latter becoming a model for John Milton (1608-
74) to write his Paradise Lost. The epics were narrative verses
telling stories of human encounters with monsters and accounts of
accomplishments of heroic deeds in battles.
After the epics came a new form of literature called the romances
originating in France in the 12th century. It was also popularly
known as chivalric romance or medieval romance.
The scholars deviated from the tradition of epic by choosing
subjects such as bravery, honour, adventure and courtly love with
unique features of using magic, spells and enchantments in the
romances to arouse curiosities and interests in the readers.
ANTECEDENTS OF THE NOVEL
According to Abrams, (1995) “Romances were first written in
verse, but later in prose as well”.
One of the notable English romance is Malory’s Morte d’Arthur
written in prose (in about 1470) which accounted the legend of
King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table.
Geoffrey Chaucer (1343-4000) used both verse as well as prose in
The Canterbury Tales.
Among the 24 stories included in The Canterbury Tales, two
stories, the ‘Tale of the Melibeus’ and the ‘Parson’s Tale’ were
written in prose.
BIRTH OF NOVEL
NOVEL
A novel is a narrative work of prose fiction that tells a story
about specific human experiences over a considerable
length.
MYSTERY
SCIENCE FICTION AND
FANTASY
HORROR/THRILLER
ROMANCE
HISTORICAL FICTION
REALISTIC FICTION
MYSTERY
NOVELS
Mystery novels revolve around a crime that
must be solved, often a murder but not
always. The traditional format will have a
detective—either professional or amateur—as
the protagonist, surrounded by a group of
characters who help solve the crime or are
suspects. Over the course of the story, the
detective will sift through clues, including
false leads and red herrings, to solve the case.
MARK TWAIN
ELEMENTS OF A NOVEL
PLOT- sequence of events in a
story
KINDS OF PLOT
Expression of the
PROPAGANDA
spirit of its age
RISE OF NOVELS
DURING VICTORIAN ERA
GREAT AGE OF THE ENGLISH NOVEL
INCREASED LITERACY
Mechanization of printing-
printing and books become
commodities + Increased in
readership =increased
literacy
ROMANTIC AGE
age of poetry/ poems
focused on self, subjectivity of
an individual, the individual
related to nature in the divine
VICTORIAN AGE
novel dominates as a genre
because it focuses in the
individual within the society,
relationships between the
individual and self-identification
of readers is possible
FAMOUS VICTORIAN NOVELIST
realist
Far from the Madding Crowd
(1874)
The Mayor of Casterbridge (1886)
Tess of the d'Urbervilles (1891)
and
Jude the Obscure (1895)
Thomas Hardy
1840 –1928
CHAPTER 12
THE SHOEMAKER
”THE SHOEMAKER” IS AN EXTRACT FROM THE
HISTORICAL NOVEL TITLED ‘THE TALE OF TWO
CITIES’ WRITTEN BY CHARLES DICKENS. THE NOVEL IS
SET IN LONDON AND PARIS.
Miss Pross- The servant who raised Lucie, Miss Pross is brusque, tough, and
fiercely loyal to her mistress. Because she personifies order and loyalty, she
provides the perfect foil to Madame Defarge, who epitomizes the violent chaos of
the revolution
Marquis Evrémonde- Charles Darnay’s uncle, the Marquis Evrémonde is a French
aristocrat who embodies an inhumanly cruel caste system. He shows absolutely no
regard for human life and wishes that the peasants of the world would be
exterminated.
Mr. Stryver- An ambitious lawyer, Stryver dreams of climbing the social ladder.
Unlike his associate, Sydney Carton, Stryver is bombastic, proud, and foolish.
John Barsad- Like Roger Cly, John Barsad is a British spy who swears that
patriotism is his only motive. Barsad falsely claims to be a virtuous man of
upstanding reputation.
Roger Cly-Like John Barsad, Roger Cly is a British spy who swears that patriotism
alone inspires all of his actions. Cly feigns honesty but in fact constantly
participates in conniving schemes.
Gabelle- The man charged with keeping up the Evrémonde estate after the
Marquis’ death, Gabelle is imprisoned by the revolutionaries. News of his
internment prompts Darnay to travel to France to save him.
LITERARY ELEMENTS
verbal irony
situational irony, and
dramatic irony are used to create twists and turns that
keep the reader riveted to this novel about the French
Revolution.
TYPE OF NOVEL
STYLE