The Victorian Age: Historical and Social Background, Oscar Wilde and Dorian Gray

Historical and Social Background

Victorian Age Overview

THE VICTORIAN AGE historical and social background Victorian age:

• defined by the 64-year reign of Queen Victoria
• witnessed progress in science, industry and technology . expansion of the British Empire and wealth of the nation . however -> overcrowding, poverty and vice

Queen Victoria's Reign

Queen Victoria -> ascended to the throne at the age of 18 . she was supported by her Prime Minister: lord Melbourne . albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha was her cousin and husband -> Prince Consort . she restored the reputation of the monarchy . she shaped a new role for the Royal Family

Social Reform

Industrial Revolution and its Impact

social reform with the Industrial Revolution ->Britain became the "workshop of the world" and raced ahead of its European competitors thanks to: . supply of cheap coal and iron

• growing domestic and colonial markets . urban population exceeded the rural. controversy: all this accompanied by increasing urban poverty and social injustice

Key Reforms

reforms:

• Reform Bill of 1832 -> vote to the male middle class. nothing for working class
• 1839: Presented "The People's Charter"-> demanding universal male suffrage and parliamentary reform
• 1867: Reform Bill -> extends suffrage to workers in towns
• 1864: Reform Bill -> vote to agricultural workers and miners
• Factory acts -> reduced working hours and regulated child and female labour
• 1870: Education act -> made elementary education compulsory

Corn Laws

corn laws:

• had led to high bread prices and suffering for the poorer urban population
• anti-Corn law -> supported by working and middle classes fighting for free trade and cheaper food. repeal of the Corn laws -> nation's shift from an agricultural to an industrial economy

New Political Parties

new political parties:

• whigs evolved into the liberal Party. major representative -> William gladstone (he tried, failing, to give Ireland Home Rule)
• Tories began the conservative party. major representative -> Benjamin Disraeli
• Independent labour Party: formed out of the trade unions -> prepared the way for the Modern British labour Party

Benjamin Disraeli's Contributions

Disraeli

• had Victoria crowned Empress of India . responsible for the Second Reform Bill -> suffrage to the working class . he legalized the trade unions

Faith in Progress

Industrial and Technological Advances

industrial and technological advance:

• 1803 -> first steam locomotive . George Stephenson's steam locomotives for a coal mine . 1829: opening of the first permanent rail passenger service --> beginning of railway age
• railway boom -> consequence and cause of industrial prosperity
• shipbuilding -> construction of iron ships
• opening of the Metropolitan railway
• invention of telegraph
• introduction of penny postal system

Urban Problems and Improvements

urban problems and improvements: growth of population -> problems

• poor sanitation and the use of coal -> heavy and foul air
• sewage thrown into the river thames . constructed over 2,100 km of tunnels and pipes to carry sewage out of the city -> death rate decreased dramatically
• other services: water, gas, lighitng
• metropolitan police force -> tackled crime (robbery, prostitution, violence, murder)

Age of Optimism and Contrast

Victorian Achievements and Values

the age of optimism and contrast the Victorians were aware of the social costs of industrialization - but they were proud of their achievements in the fields of science and technology - their values would benefit all the people in the british empire.wealth and poverty -> indicators of moral value

• upper and middle classes -> period of wealth, status and comfort
• wealthier classes distinguished themselves by conforming to standards of respectability, virtue, ethics and religion

Evangelicalism and Utilitarianism

evangelicalism and utilitarianism - evangelicals: committed to social reform and welfare (William Wilberforce) - utilitarianism: jeremy bentham. only what is useful is good. political and social actions should achieve the greater good for most people as possible.

Late Victorian Age: Empire and Foreign Policy

British Empire Expansion

late victorian age: the empire and foreign policy optimism and confidence -> confirmed by the economic, political and military success of britain and the empire

• victorians were convinced of their moral duty to export their language, culture and traditions to the "uncivilised" lands . they didn't realise that they were exploiting people, their lands and resourcer victorian age saw the greatest splendor of of the british empire
• access to raw materials . it attracted british people seeking to escape from poverty in britain
• 1800-1914 -> loads of people emigrated to canada and australia to seek fortune in the empire . the wars -> connected with the need to protect britain's imperial interest

The Opium Wars

the opium wars:

• 1840: Chinese government tried to put an end to the east india company's illegal exportation of opium from india to china -> war broke out. . britain won -> china ceded Hong Kong and Shanghai . second war: britain was allied with france

Ireland's Famine and Emigration

ireland:

• it was not given "Home Rule"
• devastating famine -> failure of the potato crop
• irish people emigrated to the americas and australia

The Great Exhibition

the great exhibition of works and industry:

• held by Prince albert in the "Crystal Palace

The Crimean War

the crimean war:

• Fought by britain in alliance with france to stop the advamce of the russian empire -> it would've threatened the british control of dardanelles . britain won the war, though losing loads of soldiers -> birth of nursing profession

The Indian Mutiny

the indian mutiny:

• east indian company's destruction of the indian cotton industry to favour british cotton -> indian mutiny
• sepoys (native soldiers) rebelled against british commanders
• revolt suppressed
• british government took over rule from the East India Company

The Boer War

the boer war

• britain at war with south african provinces . britain haf occupied the cape during napoleonic wars -> complete control after congress of vienna
• boers established two republics: the south african republic and the orage free state -> found the be rich
• boers scared of annexation -> declared war -> it gave britain supremacy over the republics

Colonies of Settlement

canada, australia and new sealand:

• colonies of settlement -> attracted immigrants from britain
• first colonies to obtain dominion

Africa: Exploration to Colonisation

africa: from exploration to colonisation

• david livingstone and henry morton -> mapped vast areas of central and southern africa
• 1875: britain bought the majority of shares of the suez canal
• 1882: british conquered egypt
• british rule -> uganda, rhodesia, kenya, the niger territories

The End of Optimism

Trade Depression and Socialism

THE END OF OPTIMISM trade depression -> because of growing costs of maintaining the empire

• affected the working classes
• traditional political parties no longer satisfied the electorate -> socialism was one of the remedies . socialism: based on the theories (about a new distribution of wealth) of Karl Marx . "Fabian Society": gradual reform rather than revolution . it organised the labour representtion committee (labour Party)

Social Darwinism

social darwinism:

• encouraged the pessimistic view of human existence . theory of natural selection. social darwinism affirmed that the life of humans in society was a struggle for existence -> ruled by "survival of the fittest" . the theory justified capitalism and conservatism -> inequality and poverty were "natural"

The Victorian Compromise

the victorian compromise:

• victorian society respected a strict, puritanical moral code
• darker side -> prostitution, gambling, drugs like opium

The Feminist Question

the feminist question:

• first half of century: women educated to be good wives and mothers
• second half: women began to fight for their rights: education for middle-class women, vote.

Literary Background

The Victorian Novel

literary background - novel: main genre of Victorian age -> embodied the moral values, religious beliefs and contradictions two main trends:

Victorian Compromise in Literature

victorian compromise:

• authors wanted to instruct and entertain the readers without explicitly criticizing the world
• characterised by man's beliefs in the goodness of scientific progress, human nature and social and economic development
• attempt to combine a realistic representation of the problems of society with and adventurous tone and a moral aim

Anti-Victorian Reaction in Literature

anti-victorian reaction:

• criticism of values and contradictions of their era
• influenced by the spread of darwin's evolutionary (change the relationship between man and animal) theories and by the birth of realism -> representation of objective reality, without the author's judgments and comments
• influence of positivism -> see life from a pessimistic perspective, represents it in a non-idealised way

The Age of Fiction

Reasons for Novel's Triumph

THE AGE OF FICTION reasons to explain triumph of novel:

• increase in the number of people who could read
• increased the number of people who could afford to buy books
• invention of "circulating libraries" -> private institution to borrow books
• novels popular because readers looked for entertaining and realistic plots
• novels were portable objects and could be read anywhere
• novels were published in installments in newspapers and magazines --> divided in episodes -> readers found them engaging

Common Features of Novels

novels' common features:

• they satisfy the need of the readers -> entertained, instructed and confronted with complex issues
• authors make their readers reflect on the incongruences of the world
• clear moral aim -> authors as exemplars of virtue
• human conditions in a realistic way
• plots are adventurous, with unexpected events, surprises and subplots
• 3rd person omniscient narrator -> he acts like God who judges the characters
• novels are structured in 3 volumes

Anthony Trollope's Autobiography

autobiography by anthony trollope: - how should an author share virtues and teach lessons and entertain the readers at the same time? v - novels are compared to sermons - the author must have his own system of ethics

Leading English Prose Writers

leading figures of english prose-writing:

• Charles Dickens
• Brontë sisters
• Thomas Hardy
• Henry James 18th century -> writing becomes a profession -> authors wanted to make money and build a career - sell to make money out of books (utilitarian reason) - they describe vagabonds, criminals, factory workers and middle-class

Early Victorian Novelists

Characteristics of Early Novels

EARLY VICTORIAN NOVELISTS first phase -> writers who used prose to make a realistic portrait of society

• novels set in london -> chance to represent the contradictions of the Industrial Revolution and consequences of the expansion of towns
• they never overtly criticised the contradictions of moral values and society
• less critical -> they used novels to instruct the readers and make them aware of the social evils of their time without using bitter criticism
• this attitute is called "Victorian Compromise"

Charles Dickens and the Tragicomic Novel

charles dickens -> the tragicomic novel