The document provides background information on the Victorian era in Britain from 1837 to 1901. It discusses some of the major social, economic, political and cultural changes that occurred during this time period, including the Industrial Revolution, expansion of the British empire, rise of the middle class, development of urbanization and poverty, role of women, impact of new technologies and social reforms. Victorian writers reflected on and were influenced by these many changes shaping Victorian society.

1. TheVictorianEra
An Age of Change…
An Age of Contrast…
A Background to Victorian Literature
Ada Villalba, Mariana Fiorito

2. Queen Victoria ruled the
British Empire for 64 years
(1837-1901)
The “civilizing mission of the
Anglo-Saxon race” ruled the
expansion of British control…

3. … raw materials from the colonies…
… finished products to the colonies…

4. from confidence and
optimism leading
to prosperity…
… to uncertainty and doubt
regarding Britain’s place
in the world…

5. An age when…

6. … the Industrial Revolution marked
a major turning point in history,
greatly affecting the social, economic
and cultural conditions of people’s
lives…
… idyllic rural England
lost its charm to
industrialized urban England…

7. … Romanticism became the voice of revolution
at the beginning of the 19th century and the
voice of the establishment at the end of it…
(*)
the cradle of
the working classes…
the triumph of
the bourgeoisie…

8. … Positivism measured everything and denied intuition…
… Utilitarianism proclaimed that what is useful is good…
… Victorians believed in the perfection of their evolved,
representative government…

9. … workers lived and worked
under appalling and
dangerous conditions…
… Unionism was born…

10. … children were employed in factories and mines…
… but then children began to read and write…

11. … education was based on facts
and classrooms were
grim places…
… schools provided for the
industrial model…

12. … a woman was the “angel of the
house”, and a prisoner…
… many women became
part
of the workforce…
feminist ideas began to spread and the
uffragettes began to fight for women’s rights…

13. … Victorian morality
imposed restraint and
worshipped family life...
… yet hid
widespread adultery
and prostitution…

14. … the Great Exhibition made Britain’s superiority
clear to the world …
and Britain sought to provide the world with the
hope of a better future thanks to technology…

15. … Victorian explorers and missionaries
went to Africa to create new ways of
seeing the world…
through British eyes…

16. … Victorians experienced a
great deal of religious doubt…
… the aristocratic
High Church Movement
was challenged by
the arrival of the
Evangelicals and the
Salvation Army…

17. … Science and Religion clashed as
Darwin raised controversy by challenging the
religious view of the evolution of man…

18. … the rebellious Pre-Raphaelites
defied art conventions and
shook the Victorian art
world…

19. … the extremely ornate and cluttered
Victorian decoration
gave way to the
Arts & Crafts Movement
and aimed at reviving the
traditional, simpler, craft skills…

20. … entertainment for the poor
included boxing, gambling,
dog races and fairs…
… and entertainment for the wealthy included fox
hunting, cricket, theatre going, dance halls and the
circus...

21. The Victorian Era left no aspect of life untouched…

22. … How did Victorian writers
reflect that changing, complex,
paradoxical age?

23. Images :
D1: https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRk2oqqOPy-cyRtOE-ROluK-gdY9SIochgu8AGjWu3bXlL6TwqyXA
D1: http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTkIfKzyhVypY5Ko2H9qgQswt6UjyC3_IK4ETaIuFv1sN2884V9zg
D2: http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRhyUajPi06z7Sw4-F-ZvqBWnnbPUVbU4JNqGO4vKL1b1iqo80c
D2: http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTIzxeZNLfenGJwj4E2EXfnowNK79MhxrUAwFZwrsZrqOV9MHxgCA
D2: http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRXsaRVvVf7uTfUk1HvKh0a5C6dYMGHmCAIT3kQJ89y9bsaVdyT
D3: http://www.chapatimystery.com/images/highwaysofempire.jpg
D4: https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTe-3T4B6PN9QMoVGN4T-pU-A_-3xG4xoJdqTwinODZyzDRTOKajg
D4:https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSzqfSaUry3YNFhlcaYQ4X7gVIYn3GgpKETGye7NgSv9APwnFHy
D5: https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRGI7wnXGVH4bYmJ3sx_I6LX98yjE83dGKipNHwW1SBvZjXT9zcrw
D6: (text) (*) http://public.wsu.edu/~brians/hum_303/romanticism.html, Sep.23rd.
D6:http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQhJO-Zpf7ejMMgolMmkVs2rlKjv5ALZsCk8qyTlrCEKXlZ5bQwkQ
D6: http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTU5WZmcnUyoI-rpYoY2zjrCmhuV4ihRCIfvMpwApxHx2bLoPfxyA
D6: http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTEb5r63DPh8KvHBk5JnPjGGZZKUwiQM19YrWannaVXZdUQ-Iyf
D6: https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSPlHJn89Dufh5nYdBN2vW0r0MS_pkU5sTWyaFmlR42mI-zwH82Yg
D7:http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcToX7YE_9lAWNaNJ2T6u2U_cYun_MrJy6E0zrU2T9WCwexnT3nPGA
D7: https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQ2KGw54il6EmqsQqz0I13lp6QVXhJ1Z0unFJ708BijJH-N3v1yUA
D8:http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQNBxJ38vQnsszRDaY0pnVjWrEIfJln5l2SU376hHBOnh4BNx9a
D8: http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQNBxJ38vQnsszRDaY0pnVjWrEIfJln5l2SU376hHBOnh4BNx9a
D8: http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQu4rPzqgKdMLbi3oDheOvjrGFvWTH2Ai-TTLtyjQk3-Dzr638WgQ
D8: https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRYfG63nxUzsLBTne93xJqrfCw8cTiTBBAvIW3zFchvGyErUohkuw
D8: http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSovzMGvVoEGfoUY8sc9aJ_mKY8sGAPaWsWPj55UX4rb6b4StJcZg
D8: http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcS0HFLqY8A3xQlCmyp5wpYNm3tr7T9zJuIqJp-o3O9EP3mqwxwF
D8: http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSeD_S35XSODUE0WdSJyQoloNeHjUGjfo5Xb1Q6mF7ugOvlF2KZ
D9: http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRbuXBIgRBFd-VgS4d5Q_y911z7JrF_U3AVyLEsctcbQvoEFrKJ
D9: https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRWtrBW1Hc52xu6G6C8RBUODU-OycvOoQB0vK9MP7_SLd8-IPtz
D9: http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRvSGRNrysFd2eYlOmzcQzLCuXX5F67-KxMKxn7BYYwKlc5ELtoVQ
D10: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victorian_era#Poverty
D10: http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR9_mEa68fse1zvbbw0J-19qffS1GRqBI1LXJay9gtpzZfaOECNOg
D10: http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT8BVJJE5SGkVR_WkUzHZJlXtaew7oxH2iZEHW5LZuq4QMUW5aH
D10: http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR0o4BviZ4-F5VBnwxp985oZQtCpIPdKghEIeo1AKuGpWv5bfRX
D11:https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQ73pvLlaUdGnDeRE8ZNueOpZDYkOvV7rQhwVsaZQk1q_bQ4iC44g
D11: http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRWdXpQBOujBsAASvLmdRngTqK9S7Sah2zrYjdxgZc8H3u9rqFc
D11:https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcS9yI6d-p7unq_qEUTMXvv2velB0URPHCs1TPHW6iqnhZ8-Sw5Q
D11: https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSZ1Hp9kb5SZfVo8DlXTfhX3NhANu-Pz9JKA2IpNTg9OYIweOgJ
D12: http://www.bookdrum.com/images/books/185620_m.jpg
D12: http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTKCukFLVV9Ijwvb6JvKK8hd88XdsiDIcXymEJAQ7zh3Fb3cZi4
D12: http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSj47bCIDMlD0YdoI6BMFYZJ_joQnG6i3xcD9V7yfJEEBMyINoXMQ
D13: http://wikis.lib.ncsu.edu/images/c/c5/Victorianfamily.gif
D13: http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRIDtk7P8IEZna0odhOb6CnankEaCcZtEADIadSd8im3yCN7_3xXw
D14: http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRxdtX-MhCVxi1xfFapgC49x3sdWv5wNac1s5Qkp3zCAt_uZPXgmA
D14: http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSGoezmbcm855sWjlyqGWliThC8pmYp_JZ0VksA3qDrDaAzDCdfWw
D15: http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQwy0jOIwOK1boqu9zEm-xe5lip18ZR_yn7pUQ8oHXogQbphW9lQQ
D15: http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQlacwVNLiY1W3-DUuob2tmxlC-1AoqMlN9y6ICrEKVHiUCSbRaIQ
D15:https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQuVCOhxZqJUficASJMfW83khVM31w5iKj5BaFYT6H-fVtCdj0S
D15: http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTU_DWuXmqr185VbLS1xx1mCFNwyMSspS9jJTOc1c6v7XBFRTFN
D16: http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT9xzrQcaTACD0Km9T8DN461ii7rsooCZs58pSjgw3X6jdji0lpdQ
D16: http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSB0gD9yR01ATkEpZQi4Bfp9MvGfTJrvCdUqqTVnCezMeutKg0Nvg
D16: http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRJGLWBraPJkFodFRSl0RTXOtplHPnv4LhQz_KLb3QeEu3z_hU5

24. D17: http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcStDroGKMPofiUnUvLxjjIQvsYx0RcrtAg3DoK0P3jLtObct5E-iw
D17: http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT2qxFqLeP-BZ5vx8neCz-Kqlor3b89BGSvmIyUsP0jWmV8QAee
D17: http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQTyJ957mqw6S4u5cDpTq2o43LtaYWF8QQOREd4nlu-JJpI54Fjqw
D18: http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRL_JqOAPQcis-vYdE44yCL5CpQ8gff6pNSGc35WFvpHMVlMNr5yg
D18: http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSEcsWrZdg8zBQhaUo9y65khH7imfJ1pQ8kJ3KwXoZhrj5NFHPn6A
D18: http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSBrD8WPHYXONveOW_bzrhp9pZ3S29NSORbEmFTgudF3xodaVRD
D19: http://www.victorianweb.org/images/furn1.gif
D19: https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRiqxiBuFoZMsU1vNVFxDdSRxGp8WS7gTaactofarMCn1DYjSdC
D19: https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTsp3xY4bRJZq2WJ_cG5zWGki-EENLhPB5NVlDwWrrh96qUVfmB
D19: http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR4XZN5M8I8b1M-lW0izgN6E6_eZwU4zzdrOAsJtxWE1uGAMXssDg
D19: http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQcaYvzcGRtIazs9G1FGfv1-5BRIfsXKNIP7OBJpXyvIsoN4aRF
D20: http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQM5pbs0MF8Z1hpSRKlkHAOsdHGVPH5zhqJrivV9s1yBV0VXwVo
D20: http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT82czWN_p3RW2xpZ31Lc3TKahGSE0q-rC5TXxnhKilSTbOBv8U5Q
D20: http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRyavQj2Fk1sCovEatrh1aBNrYciTJNL3RzpKxE00Dc1H26r46Q
D20: http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQ_CsbPgmOElK5z36fxB081nIfQ2xMOez_nq7cmSIKtlJbzUYQHpw
D20: http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTq3HeHZH3BmOcUobFR-iHmLo_G3ihE_puXUeI1Mpj6gMc0j5YkaQ
D24: https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSXP9oUhTq2XmOleybxsDYxU8lG3mcOpA3L2-hiYn0PrNivUgJSPA
end
Ada & Marian