The Victorian era of British history

= the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death, on 22 January 1901.
-long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence for Britain.
-some scholars date the beginning of the period in terms of sensibilities and political concerns
to the passage of the Reform Act 1832.
Within the fields of social history and literature, Victorianism refers to the study of late-
Victorian attitudes and culture with a focus on the highly moralistic, straitlaced language and
behaviour of Victorian morality.
-the later half of the Victorian age roughly coincided with the first portion of the Belle
Époque era of continental Europe and the Gilded Age of the United States.
Culturally there was a transition away from the rationalism of the Georgian period and
toward romanticism and mysticism with regard to religion, social values, and arts.[2] In
international relations the era was a long period of peace, known as the Pax Britannica, and
economic, colonial, and industrial consolidation, temporarily disrupted by the Crimean War in
1854. The end of the period saw theBoer War
-domestically, the agenda was increasingly liberal with a number of shifts in the direction of
gradual political reform, industrial reform and the widening of the voting franchise.
Two especially important figures in this period of British history are the prime
ministers Benjamin Disraeli and William Gladstone, whose contrasting views changed the course
of history.
-The population of England and Wales almost doubled from 16.8 million in 1851 to 30.5 million
in 1901.[3] Scotland's population also rose rapidly, from 2.8 million in 1851 to 4.4 million in
1901. Ireland's population however decreased sharply, from 8.2 million in 1841 to less than
4.5 million in 1901, mostly due to the Great Famine.[4] At the same time, around 15
million emigrants left the United Kingdom in the Victorian era, settling mostly in the United
States, Canada, New Zealand and Australia.[5]
During the early part of the era, the House of Commons was headed by the two parties,
the Whigs and the Conservatives. From the late 1850s onwards, the Whigs became the Liberals.
These parties were led by many prominent statesmen including Lord Melbourne, SirRobert
Peel, Lord Derby, Lord Palmerston, William Ewart Gladstone, Benjamin Disraeli, and Lord
Salisbury.
•science and technology: the Victorians invented the modern idea of invention -- the notion that one
can create solutions to problems, that man can create new means of bettering himself and his
environment.
•religion: the Victorians experienced a great age of doubt, the first that called into question
institutional Christianity on such a large scale. In literature and the other arts, the Victorians attempted
to combine Romantic emphases upon self, emotion, and imagination with Neoclassical ones upon the
public role of art and a corollary responsibility of the artist.
•ideology, politics, and society: the Victorians created astonishing innovation and change:
democracy, feminism, unionization of workers, socialism, Marxism, and other modern movements
took form. In fact, this age of Darwin, Marx, and Freud appears to be not only the first that
experienced modern problems but also the first that attempted modern solutions. Victorian, in other
words, can be taken to mean parent of the modern -- and like most powerful parents, it provoked a
powerful reaction against itself.
The Victorian age was not one, not single, simple, or unified, only in part because Victoria's reign
lasted so long that it comprised several periods. Above all, it was an age of paradox and power. The
Catholicism of the Oxford Movement, the Evangelical movement, the spread of the Broad Church,
and the rise of Utilitarianism, socialism, Darwinism, and scientific Agnosticism, were all in their own
ways characteristically Victorian; as were the prophetic writings of Carlyle and Ruskin, the criticism
of Arnold, and the empirical prose of Darwin and Huxley; as were the fantasy of George MacDonald
and the realism of George Eliot and George Bernard Shaw.
More than anything else what makes Victorians Victorian is their sense of social responsibility. The
poet Matthew Arnold refused to reprint his poem "Empedocles on Etna," in which the Greek
philosopher throws himself into the volcano, because it set a bad example; and he criticized an
Anglican bishop who pointed out mathematical inconsistencies in the Bible not on the grounds that he
was wrong, but that for a bishop to point these things out to the general public was irresponsible.
The Victorian Age was characterised by rapid change and developments in nearly every sphere -
from advances in medical, scientific and technological knowledge to changes in population
growth and location. Over time, this rapid transformation deeply affected the country's mood:
an age that began with a confidence and optimism leading to economic boom and prosperity
eventually gave way to uncertainty and doubt regarding Britain's place in the world.

The Upper and Upper-Middle Class

From the slightest burp (social ruin if it was heard) to how a gentleman spoke to a young lady,
Victorian society was greatly concerned with every aspect of daily life. From the moment the upper
class left their beds, their days were governed by do's and don'ts.
The horror of social ostracism was paramount. To be caught in the wrong fashion at the wrong time of
day was as greatly to be feared as addressing a member of society by the wrong title.
It was important to know whom you could speak with - especially if you hadn't been properly
introduced. For a woman, being asked to dance by a complete stranger could pose an etiquette
problem which might have repercussions for days.
Young ladies were constantly chaperoned. To be found alone with a gentleman who was other than
family was tantamount to social death. Her reputation would be ruined and her gentleman companion
would find himself the object of gossip, and most usually derision.
The established career for society women was marriage - full stop. They were expected to represent
their husbands with grace and provide absolutely no scandal. Charity work would be accepted, but
only if it was very gentile... sewing for the poor, or putting together food baskets.
Gentlemen had to keep track of when it was proper to either smoke or have a glass of sherry in front of
ladies. When to bow and to whom to tip your hat could cause gossip if the wrong decision was made.
Members of Victorian society kept busy with parties, dances, visits, dressmakers, and tailors. Keeping
track of what other people in your social class were doing was also a full-time occupation.
The People in the Middle
Being a servant in one of the grand Victorian houses was a position which would guarantee shelter and
food. However, there was etiquette to be learned.
The upper class was never to be addressed unless it was absolutely necessary. If that was the case, as
few words as possible were to be uttered.
Using the proper title was of the utmost importance. "Ma'am" or "Sir" was always appropriate. If
"Ma'am" was seen, it was necessary that you 'disappear', turning to face the wall and avoiding eye
contact.
Life was easier, though, amidst your fellow servants. Although private fraternization was frowned
upon, it wasn't against the rules for those 'below stairs' to enjoy singing, dancing, and other social
activities together.
Quite often the 'upper class' of the servant world, the butler and housekeeper, would put aside their
lofty roles in the household and join their fellow servants in gaiety. But come the morning, they would
reign supreme once again.
Having a profession was another way of being a member of the middle class of Victorian society.
Shopkeepers, doctors, nurses, a schoolmaster, or parish priest were all notable professions.
Often times, the only difference between being a member of the upper-middle and the middle class
was the amount of wealth you had gathered, and how it was flaunted.
Another indicator was the number of servants you employed. Having more than one servant was a sure
sign that you had money.
Sometimes, the 'uppers' and the 'middlers' would mingle. If the proper introductions could be
managed, it was possible for a tradesman to receive backing from a prominent 'upper' member. With a
successful business deal, both parties could increase their wealth and for the 'middler', their station in
life.
The Lower Class
Victorian society did not recognize that there was a lower class.
'The Poor' were invisible. Those members of England who worked as chimney sweeps, ratcatchers, or
spent their days in factories had no place in the echelon of the upper class, although their services
would be needed from time to time.
The prevailing attitude was that the poor deserved the way they lived. If good moral choices had been
made, the poor wouldn't be living the way they did.
The best way for society to deal with the poor was to ignore them. They were 'burdens on the public'.
There were people who cared, however. Unfortunately, in trying to help the lower class, conditions
usually did not improve. Workhouses were developed, but the living was horrendous and it was almost
better to be back on the street.
Being just too busy trying to survive, etiquette played little part in the poor's daily existence. But that's
not to say that pride wasn't available. There was a 'social stigma' to applying for aid, and some families
preferred to keep to themselves and figure out their own methods of survival.
Although Poor Laws were put into place, it wasn't until after the Victorian age ended that 'the lower
class' was able, through education, technology, and reform, to raise itself, in some cases literally, out
of the gutter.
Victorian society could be quite pleasant, but only depending on your financial status.
Role of women
 Despite the fact that the Reform Bills of 1832 and 1867 changed voting rights by granting a political voice to

many among the working class who had not enjoyed any such voice before, women were not included in

these reforms.

 In fact, despite its having been an era of great social change, the Victorian period (particularly its early and

middle periods) saw little progress for women's rights. Women had limited access to education, could not

vote or hold public office, and could not (until 1870) own property.

 Debates about women's rights were referred to generally as "The Woman Question" (one of many issues in

an age of issues).

 In 1848, the first women's college was established; women were otherwise excluded from England's three

universities.

 It should be remembered that while the "Woman Question" often sought, at least in principle, rights for all

women, it was primarily addressed to women of the middle class. In other words, while women argued for

access to employment and bemoaned the stereotypical fate of the middle-class wife, who had to while away

her time at home with insignificant trivial pursuits, hundreds of thousands of lower-class women worked in

grueling industrial conditions in mines and mills.

 Related to the larger "Woman Question," the problem of prostitution gained increasing visibility.

Prostitution itself grew, in part to fill demand, of course, but also because it was actually a better choice for

many women relative to the working conditions they would face in the factories.

 Importantly, debates about gender did not necessarily fall down gendered lines: many men argued

adamantly for women's rights, and many women (like Queen Victoria herself) were not convinced that

women should enjoy equality with men.

Literacy, publication...
 As of 1837 roughly half of England's population was literate; that figure continued to grow throughout the

Victorian period (due especially to reforms that mandated at least minimal education for everybody).

 Because of advances in printing technology, publishers could provide more texts (of various kinds) to more

people.

 The Victorian period saw enormous growth in periodicals of all kinds. Many famous novelists, like Charles

Dickens, for example, published their work not in book form at first but in serial installments in magazines.

 The practical reality of publishing in serial form had a direct impact on style, including how plots were

paced, organized, and developed. (The experience of reading serialized novels is similar to that of the

modern television viewer watching a program that unfolds in a series of hour or half-hour segments.)

 As literacy proliferated, the reading public became more and more fragmented. Writers thus had to consider

how (or if) their writing might appeal to niche audiences rather than to a unified "reading public."
  Short fiction thrived during the Victorian period, thanks in part to the robust periodical culture of the time.

 The novel was perhaps the most prevalent genre of the time period; it was especially well suited to authors

who wanted to capture the wide diversity of industrial life and the class conflict and divisions that

industrialism created.

 A common theme among Victorian novelists involves a protagonist who is trying to define him- or herself

relative to class and social systems.

POETRY

 While prose fiction was the most widely circulated kind of writing in the Victorian period, poetry retained its

iconic status as "high literature." Most readers continued to expect poetry to teach a moral lesson, even

though many writers were uncomfortable with that aim.

 As some Victorians would argue, it was through the writing and study of poetry in particular that individuals

could cultivate their greatest human potential.

 Poets of the period ranged widely in their subject matter: some sought to revive mythic themes (Arthurian

legend, for example) while others turned a critical eye on the industrial abuses of the present (such as the

problem of child labor).

PROSE

 Nonfiction prose writing gained wide readership during the Victorian period (due again to the vibrant

periodical culture). No less, authors were attracted to nonfiction prose as the best vehicle for addressing―in

a direct and specific way―the problems of industrial England and, in some cases, for proposing solutions to

these problems.

 Nonfiction prose authors (who were often writers of fiction and poetry as well) tackled subjects that were as

diverse as the age itself, including politics, religion, art, economics, and education.

 Much Victorian nonfiction prose is marked by a sense of urgency, which reflects the pace of change of the

age: many authors felt that society would, at some point, be overwhelmed by change and descend into some

form of what Matthew Arnold called simply "anarchy."

DRAMA AND THEATER

 The Victorian theater was a popular institution, especially for those with the means to enjoy it as one of life's

many pleasures.

 In addition to traditional plays, the theater also included all manner of spectacle, from burlesque to musicals

to pantomime.

 Especially towards the end of the Victorian period, playwrights like George Bernard Shaw and Oscar Wilde

began to reflect, in an increasingly satirical way, the pretentious values and behavior that they believed

characterized Victorian life.

Victorian Morality
The term represents the moral of the people living in the Victorian time. It especially refers to the
moral climate in general in Great Britain during the 19th century. Victorian morality can be
described as a set of values that supported sexual repression, low tolerance of crime, and a strong
social ethic. Due to the enormous impact and importance of the British Empire, many of these
values were spread across the world.
Victorian morality is a distillation of the moral views of people living at the time of Queen Victoria's
reign (1837–1901) and of the moral climate of the United Kingdom of the 19th century in general,
which contrasted greatly with the morality of the previous Georgian period. Many of these values
spread throughout the British Empire. Today, the term "Victorian morality" can describe any set of
values that espouse sexual restraint, low tolerance of crime and a strict social code of conduct.
The term "Victorian" was first used during the Great Exhibition in London (1851), where Victorian
inventions and morals were shown to the world. [1] Victorian values were developed in all facets of
Victorian living. The morality and values of the period can be classed to Religion, Morality, Elitism,
Industrialism and Improvement. These values take root in Victorian morality, creating an overall
change in the British Empire.
Historians now regard the Victorian era as a time of many contradictions, such as the widespread
cultivation of an outward appearance of dignity and restraint together with the prevalence of social
phenomena such as prostitution and child labour. A plethora of social movements arose from
attempts to improve the prevailing harsh living conditions for many under a rigid class system.

Allusions

Literary and Philosophical References

"God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen" (1.69)
One Thousand and One Nights (2.57)
"Valentine and Orson" (2.57)
Daniel Defoe, Robinson Crusoe (2.59)
"Sir Roger de Coverley," a country dance (2.94)
Historical References
Workhouses for the poor (1.54)
The New Poor Law, passed in 1834 (1.55)

You’re acting like such a Scrooge!

Alluding to Dickens’s A Christmas Carol, this line means that the person is being
miserly and selfish, just like the character Scrooge from the story.