The Victorian Age lasted from 1837 - 1901. During this time Queen Victoria ruled and her reign was so outstanding it became known as the "Victorian Era". Around this time Victorian England saw great expansion of wealth, power and culture that influenced not only England but most parts of the world. "This was also a time of several unsettling social developments such as the growth of English democracy, the education of the masses, the progress of

Reflecting back into her childhood, Victoria was always prone to self pity. On Dec. 14th, 1861 her husband, in which she admired, died from typhoid fever at Windsor Castle. After Albert's death in 1861, an isolated Victoria remained in self-imposed seclusion for ten years. Her genuine but obsessive mourning, which would occupy her for the rest of her life, played an important role in the evolution of what would become the Victorian mentality.

industrial enterprise and the consequent rise of a materialistic philosophy" (Wright 4). Yet, it can be said without much fear of contradiction that this age represents the glory of the middle classes. The people of this period experienced a rise in their moral sense and social conscience, which animated the middle class. They had a very high moral tone to maintain and managed to do just that. This was due to the fact that Queen Victoria grew up as part of this class. Her ethics, respectability and personal tastes generally reflected those belonging to the "great" middle class. Cooke believed "that what made them so Victorian is their sense of social responsibility, a basic attitude that obviously differentiates them from their immediate predecessors, the Romantics". (Cooke, 1949)

Also during this time, regulations were imposed on urban facilities and passenger railroads. Commissions were set up to oversee prisons, merchant shipping and private charities. Attempts to finance elementary education, however, were hampered by conflict over the church's role in running schools. Nevertheless, many people in England were still poor, badly housed, undernourished and sick. The middle class had it all - money, responsibility and sincerity, but for the working class victorism was indeed a time of unhealthy prudery.

Technical progress transformed Britain into a land of mechanical and industrial activity. This period also saw a trend toward free trade. This aided by the 1849 recall of the Navigation Act and a system of administrative regulation was gradually established. Women at the start of this age were victims of social manipulation; they had arranged marriages, and no career possibilities. This continued on though out most of the age but at this time in 1849 women got some heads up for the future. They were barred from underground work in mines and limited to 10 hour working days in factories, which led to women being able to choose career possibilities and much more.

By this time, according to Evertt "Tennyson at age of 41 had written some of his greatest poetry, but continued to write and gain popularity"(pars 8). The death of his admirer Prince Albert in 1861 encouraged Tennyson to write a dedication to the "Idylls of the King" in his memory. The prince and most of England had taken an interest in Tennyson's poetry eve

Some common words found in the essay are:
Theory Evolution, Navigation Act, Queen Victoria, Romantics Cooke, Demeter Poems, Victorian England, Halam Memoriam, Victorian Age, God Expressing, Mid-Victorian England, middle class, queen victoria, victorian era, light hope, victorian age, towards light hope, social developments, career possibilities, william gladstone, albert's death, steam engine, albert's death 1861, unsettling social developments,
Approximate Word count = 1884
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)