The Victorian Age

1、The Victorian Age (1832-1868) Contents: Historical backgroundCharacteristics of the English literature in Victorian periodThe novelists of the Victorian eraRepresentative writers and their important worksHistorical background The Victorian period has been generally regarded as one of the most glorio

2、us in the English history. As a result of relative peace at home, national economy picked up at a high speed. The country changed from an agricultural to an industrialized nation. It became more urbanized, cities grew in size, and villages declined. Education became more general, and science and tec

3、hnology advanced. Despite the gaping extremes of wealth and poverty, life became visibly easier. On the whole, the Victorian period was characterized by rapid change in nearly every sphere of society and one of transition from the past to the modern times. Hope existed alongside dismay, and optimism

4、 was colored by anxiety.Characteristics of the English literature in Victorian period The Victorian literature, as a product of its age, naturally took its quality of magnitude and diversity. It was many-sided and complex, and reflected both romantically and realistically the great changes that were

5、 going on in peoples life and thought. In this period, the novel became naturally the most popular form of all the literary art, and what writers were concerned with was the fate of common people.What is critical realism? Critical realism is the main trend of the literary thoughts in the 19th centur

6、y. It reveals the corrupting influence of the rule of money upon human nature. Critical realists first and foremost set themselves the task of criticizing capitalist society from a democratic viewpoint of bourgeoisie reality. The major contribution made by the 19th century critical realists lie in t

7、heir perfection of the novels. They made use of the form of novel for full and detailed representations of social and political events, and the fate of individuals and of whole social classes. What are the main characteristics of the English critical realism? English critical realism of the 19th cen

8、tury flourished in the forties and in the early fifties. The critical realists described with much vividness and artistic skill the chief trait of the English society and criticized the capitalist system from a democratic viewpoint. In their best works, the greed and hypocrisy of the upper-classes a

9、re contrasted with the honesty and good-heartedness of the obscure “simple people” of the lower classes. Hence humor and satire abound in the English realistic novels of the 19th century. However, the critical realists did not, due to their world outlook, could not, find a way to eradicate social ev

10、ils. The novelists of the Victorian era: accepted middle class values treated the problem of the individuals adjustment to his society emphasized well-rounded middle-class characters portrayed the hero as a rational man of virtue believed that human nature is fundamentally good and lapses are errors

11、 of judgment corrected by maturationThe Victorian novel featured several developments in narrative technique: full description and exposition authorial essays multiplotting featuring several central characters Furthermore, the practice of issuing novels in serial installments led novelists to become

12、 adept at subclimaxes.Factors of the Victorian novel appealing to readers realism impulse to describe the everyday world the reader could recognize introduction of characters who were blends of virtue and vice attempts to display the natural growth of personality expressions of emotion: love, humor,

13、 suspense, melodrama, pathos (deathbed scenes) moral earnestness and wholesomeness, including crusades against social evils and self-censorship to acknowledge the standard morality of the times.Representative writers and their important worksRepresentative writers：Poetry: Robert Browning 羅伯特羅伯特.布朗寧布

14、朗寧 Alfred Tennyson 阿爾弗雷德阿爾弗雷德.丁尼生丁尼生Novel: The Bronte sisters 勃朗特三姐妹勃朗特三姐妹 George Eliot 喬治喬治.艾略特艾略特 Charles Dickens 查爾斯查爾斯.狄更斯狄更斯 Thomas Hardy 托馬斯托馬斯.哈代哈代 Joseph Conrad 約瑟夫約瑟夫.康拉德康拉德Drama: Oscar Wilde 奧斯卡奧斯卡.王爾德王爾德 George Bernard Shaw 蕭伯納蕭伯納Other writers：Matthew Arnold 馬修馬修.阿諾德阿諾德Walter Scott 沃爾特沃爾特

15、.司各特司各特William Makepeace Thackray 威廉威廉.麥克皮斯麥克皮斯.薩克雷薩克雷Samuel Butler 塞繆爾塞繆爾.巴特勒巴特勒Rudyard Kipling 拉迪亞德拉迪亞德.吉普林吉普林Arnold Bennett 阿諾德阿諾德.本涅特本涅特William Somerset Maugham 威廉威廉.薩默賽特薩默賽特.毛姆毛姆Herbert George Wells 赫伯特赫伯特.喬治喬治.威爾斯威爾斯John Galsworthy 約翰約翰.高爾斯華綏高爾斯華綏 E.M.Forster E.M.福斯特福斯特Arthur Conan Doyle 阿瑟阿瑟.

16、柯南道爾柯南道爾Robert Browning (1812-1889)Life: Marriage to Elizabeth BarrettLife: Marriage to Elizabeth BarrettPoetic achievement:Poetic achievement: The development and creation of the The development and creation of the “dramatic monologue” “dramatic monologue” forceful and colloquial poetic style forceful and colloquial poetic styleMajor works:Major works: poem: poem: My Last DuchessMy Last Duchess 我已故的公爵夫人我已故的公爵夫人 poetic collection: poetic collection: The Ring and the BookThe R