"                                     "

Please sir, I want some more!

 

by Grace Holleran 

 

 

 

Introduction

 

When most people think of Victorian Literature, they think of the quote above. Cited from Oliver Twist and written by Charles Dickens, it is one of the most memorable things ever written during the Victorian Era. What some people don't know is that there was so much more to this era than one line from one book. People in the Victorian Age loved novels (fictional stories, like Oliver Twist). There were many more famous authors than just Charles Dickens. Lewis Carroll, William Wilkie Collins, Benjamin Disraeli and Elizabeth Gaskell were also very distinguished in their time. People like this introduced many new themes that are kept today. (Dickens invented the paperback book.) The way the books were written is not exactly the same as today, but it is still equally important.

 

On the other hand, poetry was another popular read during the time. The confusing words may puzzle us now, but in the time, they were regarded for their beauty and for the way they flowed. A notable fact is that before the Victorian Era, writing was considered something reserved for men only. Yet once the nineteenth century rolled around, there were more female poets than ever. Some famous poets (male and female) included the Bronte sisters (Charlotte and Emily), Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Christina Rossetti.

 

This page will continue to cover an outline of the types of novels and poetry, and the people famous for writing them. The goal is for the reader to discover the significance of the literature in this time, and to realize there is so much more to it than what we read in English class.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Victorian Novel

 

Many new themes were introduced in the Victorian Era. The three to be covered are morality (the difference between good and evil) the treatment of children, and romance. All of these ideas are still used in their own way today. They are not necessarily used the same way as in the nineteenth century, but these ideas inspired authors for centuries to come; this includes the authors of today.

 

Morality, or the difference between good and evil, was a very common theme used in Oliver Twist. This element was mainly used as satire, to over exaggerate good and evil. For example, a stereotypical "good" person would only do noble deeds, while an "evil" would often show many of the following traits: gluttony (the obsession over material objects), greed, jealously, pride, and anger/violence. They would not show any good or noble traits, so it was easy for the reader to tell the difference between the protagonist and the antagonist. One might notice that writing characters like this makes them "flat", in other words having no depth. Although authors in the Victorian Era were very interested in how people's personalities developed from when they were children, they did not focus on giving the characters more meaning. This, in one way, is what more modern authors picked up from the Victorian Era and improved. The unfortunate thing about morality, is that it did not allow female characters to break out of the mold set in the Victorian Era. For example, in Dickens' David Copperfield, the character Lily does not fulfill her dream of becoming a "lady", for it involved her running away with a man she was not married to. Obviously, this had more to do with the fact of the times, not of the skill of the authors. Had people like Dickens been alive today, female characters would not have gotten unfair treatment through morality. 

 

 

The treatment of children was another theme addressed in Victorian novels. The school system was very inadequate, and some authors (once again, including Dickens) used their books to point out this crucial situation. Only about 20% of children in London went to school in the beginning of the era, and around 50% attended near the end. To read more about education, please click here. This theme also pointed out the then less-known problem of child abuse. In many books, children were shown being abused so the reader would be aware of this situation. Child abuse was not as public of an issue as it is today, but the fact that the authors showed the truth of the world to the public shows how much information Victorian novels really gave. Victorian authors' opinions on child labor, child abuse, and lack of education greatly influenced the public. This shows how the novel was not only used as a form of entertainment, but as a way of making a point to society.

 

 

A final very popular Victorian theme was romance. A Victorian romance usually involved two lovers being meant to be, but separated when they were children through events or people. One character would either move away, be separated for family reasons, or find interest in another person. The other person (or the "wrong" person) would usually lack depth, and it would be up to the hero to mature and discover this on his/her own. In the end, the romances were very "storybook", so to say. The two people in the end would be soul mates, meant for each other. There would be complications in the beginning, but unlike many 21st century books, they would always end up together in the end.

 

 

At times, it can be hard to distinguish the similarity between Victorian themes and today's themes. But in the case of morality, there are still many books that demonstrate the difference between good and evil. The difference may not be as defined or obvious, but it is still there. The treatment of children was used to present issues to readers. Today, authors still use their works to convey a message. And lastly, romance books take up a whole section in most libraries. Most of these stories end up with the lovers being together. Understanding these important ideas and themes helps us understand the works of the past, as well as the works of  today.

 

 

 

 

 

Famous Novelists

 

Charles Dickens was not the only distinguished author of his time. If you had lived during the Victorian Era, you would probably have been familiar with the following authors:

 

 

Lewis Carroll

Born Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, he adopted the pen name Lewis Carroll and wrote many famous works such as the well-known Alice in Wonderland (1865). He also wrote Through the Looking-Glass (1871) and Phantas-magoria (1871). His writing in Alice shows that mature things such as money and social class are thrown at children when they are very young. It is not their responsibility to endure drudgery and hard labor for their families, yet Victorian children experienced this every day. Carroll showed how greed can and did corrupt children's young minds during the Victorian Era.

 

 

William Wilkie Collins

William Wilkie Collins is best known for writing The Woman in White. He wrote books that were then called "sensation novels". For us, we consider it "suspense" or "detective" fiction. He wrote about the social problems of his time and the plight of women. He emulated Dickens' way of publishing; by releasing his books in serials, or groups of a few chapters. His next book, No Name, had the theme of a revenge thriller. Movies and books with themes that he used are still very popular today. Authors such as Wilkie Collins made these ideas spread for generations to come.

 

 

 

Benjamin Disraeli

Disraeli was born in London in 1804. His love of literature may have come from his father (Isaac Disraeli), who wrote many books on literature and history. Benjamin's first book was Vivian Grey (1826). He was only 22 years old, but this book was already very popular. He followed with publishing The Young Duke (1831), Contarini Fleming (1832), Alroy (1833), Henriettta Temple (1837), and Venetia (1837). He was also very interested in politics and at one point was Prime Minister of England.

 

 

Elizabeth Gaskell

Elizabeth Gaskell, eventually known as simply "Mrs. Gaskell" wrote many short stories  and novels. However, she was probably best known for her biography on Charlotte Bronte. She was also well known for writing ghost stories (a series under a fake author's name, but written by more than one author). Charles Dickens published some of her works in his magazine Household Words. Some of her best known novels are Cranford (1853), North and South (1854), and Wives and Daughters (1865).

 

 

 

 

 

The Victorian Poem

 

 

Another very popular form of literature was poetry. Poetry isn't exactly a popular read today, but in a time when songs were usually classical and had no lyrics, poetry was an important way to get a point across through the arts. An example of a famous Victorian poem is from Elizabeth Barrett Browning's Sonnets from the Portuguese, number 43 (left).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Famous Poets

 

Many others joined Elizabeth Barrett Browning in the writing of sonnets and other types of poems. Four of these people are covered below:

 

 

Charlotte and Emily Bronte

Charlotte and Emily are regarded together, but each wrote different poems. Charlotte's works included Evening Solace, Life, Regret, and The Letter. Emily's poems were known for their clearness, and the fact that they had no confusing language like many other poets of the time did. A few of her poems include No Coward Soul is Mine, Stoic, and Day Dream. She is also very well known for writing the romantic novel Wuthering Heights.

 

 

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Emerson was not only a poet but an activist. He used his eloquent language to get his points and beliefs across in a more creative, unique, and impacting way. Some of his works include Good-by, Celestial Love, Two Rivers, Give All to Love, Loss and Gain, Ode to Beauty, and many, many more.

 

 

Christina Rossetti

Christina grew up in a very creative family. She was very distinguished as a female Victorian poet. A few of her works include Song, Mirage, and Dream Land.

 

 

 

 

 

Conclusion

 

The literature in the Victorian Era had a huge impact on society as we know it today. The books we read, the songs we hear, all have a slight influence from this era. The amount of inflluence varies from author to author, from book to book. From the novels with themes of romance and morality, to the poems with their flowing language regarding love, this literature covered nearly every topic. The important people of this age thought of ideas and inspirations, and modern authors and songwriters benefit from this. Hopefully, this page helped to clear up the important names and ideas during this time. The significance of these works can be much more than what meets the eye. Literature will remain a foundation in naming the creativity and philosophies of each century, the 21st as well as the 19th.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Works Consulted   Egan, Kate. "Money in the Alice Books." The Victorian Web. December 1995. Brown University.   13 February 2008. <http://www.victorianweb.org/authors/carroll/egan1.html>       "Elizabeth Barrett Browning (Literary Significance)." Wikipedia. 10 February 2008.   Wikimedia Foundation. 14 February 2008.   <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Barrett_Browning>       "Elizabeth Gaskell." Wikipedia. 24 February 2008. Wikimedia Foundation.   1 March 2008. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Gaskell>       "Lewis Carroll's Works." The Victorian Web. 16 May 2005. Brown University.   13 February 2008. <http://www.victorianweb.org/authors/carroll/bio1.html>       Simkin, John. "Benjamin Disraeli." Spartacus Educational. 21 February 2008.   byteachers.org.uk. 27 February 2008.   <http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/PRdisraeli.htm>        "Student Handouts - Themes in Victorian Literature." TNT Learning - David Copperfield.   2000. Turner Learning, Inc. 2 March 2008.   <http://www.turnerlearning.com/tntlearning/davidcopperfield/themes.html>       "Victorian Poets." Poet Seers. 2 March 2008.   <http://www.poetseers.org/the_great_poets/victorian_poets>       "Wilkie Collins." Wikipedia. 10 February 2008. Wikimedia Foundation. 14 February 2008.   <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilkie_Collins>