1832-1901

The Victorian Period

Important Events and Inventions 1844- first telegraph sent 1845- Irish potato famine 1859- Charles Darwin publishes the Origin of the Species 1861- U.S. Civil War begins 1869- Suez canal opens 1874- Alexander Bell invents telephone 1879- Edison invents the light bulb 1893- Ford makes first automobile 1893- New Zealand is first country to grant women

suffrage 1895- Marconi invents first radio 1896- first modern Olympic games 1900- Sigmund Freud publishes dream interpretations

The Era of Rapid Change

Horse drawn carriages to cars

From rule by aristocrats to votes for every man

From farms to factories From confidence in

progress to increased doubt

During Queen Victoria’s reign, England transformed from

Growth and Change“The sun never sets on the British Empire.”

The British Empire included areas around the globe: Africa, India, Ireland, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Australia and Canada

England was at the height of its power

Dominated the world politically

Modern Monarchy: Queen Victoria

Became queen at age 18 Married her cousin, Prince Albert Ruled for over 63 years Hallmarks of her reign:

Proper behavior Hard work and duty Support of Imperialism

Changed the role of royalty by yielding control to the Prime Minister

After the death of her husband in 1861she withdrew from politics and went into seclusion for the rest of her life.

Progress, Problems, and Reforms

Middle class Victorians enjoyed displaying their wealth in their dress, homes, furniture, etc.

Refined manners was of the utmost importance

Many were against these displays of materialism

Progress, Problems and Reforms Cont.

Conditions for the poor grew worse 16 hour work days 5 year olds worked

in coal mines and in factories

Potato blight/ famine caused 2 mill. Irish to emigrate to England’s over-crowded slums

Reform and Uncertainty

Parliament abolished slavery

Restricted child labor Public schools established (1867) Working-class men

given the right to vote

Modern science threatened cherished beliefs Charles Darwin’s

publication and theory

Victorian Literature

Early Victorian poets focused on “poetic” subjects

At the time, works by writers such as Dickens, Emily and Charlotte Bronte, and George Eliot was seen as light entertainment, not serious literature

Middle-class citizens wanted stories to have more realism. Captures elements of every day life Exposes social problems and pretentions Psychological realism

Victorian Novels

Novels were very long – divided into three books

Novels were usually published serially in magazines several chapters at a time Readers might have to wait 2 years to find

out how a story ended Introduction of Penny

Dreadful: shocking serial stories with each section costing a penny

Victorian Viewpoints

Victorians read on all subjects

They were curious about everything and would read non-fiction articles that only specialists might read today

Uncertainty about religion, science, imperialism, and materialism permeated literature

Pessimistic tone to many works

New Writing Styles

Naturalism an off-shoot of Realism Saw the universe as an uncaring force Focused on the harsh details of

industrialized life No humor or happy ending

Late Victorians began avoiding serious works Turned to adventure tales by Robert

Louis Stevenson, H.G. Wells, and Oscar Wilde

Children’s literature by Lewis Carroll and Rudyard Kipling

Important Authors and Works

Charles Dickens – A Tale of Two Cities Emily Bronte – Wuthering Heights Charlotte Bronte – Jane Eyre Rudyard Kipling – The Jungle Book Robert Louis Stevenson- Treasure Island Thomas Hardy – Tess of the D’Urbervilles Lewis Carroll- Alice in Wonderland George Eliot (Mary Evans)- Silas Marner Sir Arthur Conan Doyle- The Adventures of Sherlock

Holmes Oscar Wilde- The Picture of Dorian Gray H.G. Wells – The Time Machine

Focus Questions

1. What one invention from this time period?

A: automobile, telegraph, radio, light bulb, and telephone

Focus Question

2. What are two important world events from this time period?

A: U.S. Civil War, Suez Canal, Irish potato famine, women suffrage in New Zealand, Charles Darwin’s publication, Prince Albert dies, English abolishment of slavery, Victoria crowned queen, first modern Olympics

Focus Question

3. List three facts about Queen Victoria.

A: ruled for over 63 years, became queen at 18, married her cousin, valued manners and imperialism, embraced constitutional law, mourned her husband’s death for the remainder of her life

Focus Question

4. How would you describe middle-class Victorians?

A: focused on manners and proper behavior displayed their wealth and materialism avid readers and curious about everything Deeply religious Embraced technology and science but were

upset by what it showed them

Focus Questions

5. How would you describe lower-class Victorians?

A: Worked long hours in terrible conditions Lived in over-crowded slums Wanted to read realistic works Men gained the right to vote Able to attend public schools

Focus Question

6. List three facts about Victorian literature.

A: Long books published in serials Naturalism – focus on industrialized life and

hardships Realism – focus on everyday life and social problems Early Victorian writing was serious, dark, and

negative Late Victorian writing included children’s literature

and adventure stories

Focus Question

6. List three authors and their works from this time period.

A: Charles Dickens – A Tale of Two Cities Emily Bronte – Wuthering Heights Charlotte Bronte – Jane Eyre Rudyard Kipling – The Jungle Book Robert Louis Stevenson- Treasure Island Thomas Hardy – Tess of the D’Urbervilles Lewis Carroll- Alice in Wonderland George Eliot (Mary Evans)- Silas Marner Sir Arthur Conan Doyle- The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes Oscar Wilde- The Picture of Dorian Gray H.G. Wells – The Time Machine