Literary Victorianism
Victorianism, by definition, describes the "events and attitudes during the reign of Queen Victoria, which convey notions of 'prudish,' 'repressed,' and 'old-fashioned,'" (Landow 3). The Victorian Era consisted of exploration of oneself and the questioning of life and how man came to be. Many advances were made in the fields of literature, religion, and science. "Above all, it was an age of paradox and power," (Landow 3). New ideas about bettering man's condition came into focus. People now believed in bettering themselves through invention and innovation. The idea that one could solve their own problems, rather than letting problems solve themselves, revolutionized the way philosophers and authors regarded life. New ideas about religion during the Victorian Period caused man to question the current tenets of Christianity. "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," (Landow 3). In the fields of philosophy and ideology, feminism, democracy, unionization of workers, and Socialism marked the tides of change. Literary Victorianism can be defined by
The authors of the Victorian Era helped to usher in the Renaissance of ideas about man's existence. The birth of ideas regarding man's position on this planet, religion, women's rights, and other social issues has been exemplified in these authors' works. Even though they were ahead of their time, they have been regarded as some of the most profound writers ever. Elizabeth Barrett Browning herself exemplified the feminist aspect of Victorianism. In an era where women poets were few, she gained notoriety and widespread fame for her various works. Her writings "fell into disrepute with the modernist reaction against what was seen as the inappropriate didacticism and rhetorical excess of Victorian poetry," (Abrams 1173). Her work, "Sonnets from the Portuguese," openly defied her father's strict rules and expressed her love for Robert Browning. This open defiance from a female characterized the feminist aspect of the Victorian Era. Elizabeth Browning's attitude towards her father marked a changing attitude amongst females in general towards their male counterparts. Robert Browning, Elizabeth Browning's husband, added a new dimension to the way poems were written with the dramatic monologue. The general public was not re
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Approximate Word count = 830
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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