The document provides an overview of the socio-political conditions of the Victorian Age in England from 1850-1900. It introduces the Victorian Age as a period of progress and unrest following the Romantic era. Historically, it was an age of democracy and social unrest with a focus on peace, arts, and science. Socially, there were clear class divisions between the upper, middle, and working classes, with poor working conditions, especially for women and children. Politically, important events included the abolition of slavery and the emergence of working class political activism. Literature from the period, such as Hardy's Jude the Obscure and Dickens' Hard Times, reflected these social divisions and struggles.
1. Name:- Hetal Pathak
Semester:- 1st
Roll No.:- 12
Paper No.:- 105 History of English Literature.
Unit:- 4 Romantic and Victorian Era.
Topic:- Socio – Political Conditions of the
Victorian Age
Department of English
Prepared By:- Hetal Pathak
2. Points to ponder :-
•Brief Introduction about the age
•Historical summary
•Social conditions during the age of
victorian
•Political scenario
•Conclusion
3. Brief Introduction about the victorian age :-
• Victorian age started when victoria became queen in the year
1837.
•The victorian age started in the year 1850 and stayed till 1900.
•Earlier we have studied romantic age with the great poets like
william wordsworth, shelley , Lord Byron, keats and others.
•Victorian age came into existence after the age of romanticism.
•The victorian age is one of the most remarkable periods in the
history of England.
•The victorian age is also known as ;
•“ The Modern period of progress and Unrest.”
4. Historical summary :-
While we are talking about the social and
political forces and changes of this great age,
Four things stands out very clearly.
They are given as below:-
1. Democracy
2. Social unrest
3. The ideal of peace
4. Arts and Science
5. •The victorian age was considered as the age of
Democracy.
•The long struggle of the Anglo – Saxons for
personal liberty is definitely settled.
•This is how Democracy becomes the
established order of the day.
•Secondly , it was an age of social unrest
because some of the moments that happened
during that age.
•Third we can understand that because it was
an age of Democracy and education.
•This age is an age of comparative peace.
6. •The fourth and the last one that the victorian
age is especially remarkable because of its
rapid progress in all the arts and science and in
mechanical inventions.
•This new things become familiar and their
influence upon literature during this age.
7. Social Conditions during the victorian age:-
•The social classes of this era included the upper, Middle
and lower class.
•This class was divided into three subcategories.
1. Royal family
2. Middle upper
3. Lower upper
• The working class consisted of unskilled laborers who
worked in very brutal conditions.
• This situation known as Victorian England social
hierarchy.
• During this age poor working conditions especially
for women and children.
8. How to connect this social classes divisions and
problems with our Literary Texts:-
Jude the obscure – Thomas Hardy’s novel – Jude Fawley
– working as a stonemason – Didn’t get a chance to go
to university – Faced lots of problems and struggles.
Hard times – a novel by Charles Dickens – Characters
are divided into Groups – one of the group was working
class people – “ HAND” – theme of upper class and
lower class – Stephan blackpool – life became terrible.
9. Political Scenario of the Victorian Age :-
•If we talked about political scenario of the
victorian age we can understand that Important
political events happened in this age.
•It included the abolition of Slavery in the
British Empire.
•Working Class Political was Activism.
•New governments are formed and take over.
10. Conclusion:-
To conclude our topic we can say that these are
some socio – political reforms and changes that
took place during the victorian age. And along
with that it had some influence also upon the
literature.
