Victorian Era 1850-1900

• Only contained to England really.
• Focuses on the reign of Queen Victoria who reigned England from 1837-1901.
• Realism of the working class situation and what industrialisation ha done to people generally.
• Lots of conflict between on the outside appearing graceful and respectable whilst on the inside having rebellious and violent tendencies. Trying to contain emotion.
• Popular writers include: Thomas Hardy, Charles Dickens, Rudyard Kipling and the three Bronte sisters.
• The theory of evolution contained within the work challenged many of the ideas the Victorians had about themselves and their place in the world. Although it took a long time to be widely accepted, it would dramatically change subsequent thoughts and literature. Much of the work of popularizing Darwin's theories was done by his younger contemporary Thomas Henry Huxley, who wrote widely on the subject.
• Victoria plunged into deep mourning and avoided public appearances when Prince Albert her husband died
• Prince Albert died on 14 December 1861. Victoria was devastated.She blamed her husband's death on worry over the Prince of Wales's philandering. He had been "killed by that dreadful business", she said. She entered a state of mourning and wore black for the remainder of her life. She avoided public appearances and rarely set foot in London in the following years.Her seclusion earned her the nickname "widow of Windsor".Her weight increased through comfort eating, which reinforced her aversion to public appearances.
• Hence the nation almost went into mourning itself
• Mortality was a huge talking point during this period.
• Famous writers of this era include: Rossetti, Conrad, Kipling, Bronte sisters, Dickens, Wilde, Browning, Hardy, Tennyson and HG wells.