Victorianism and Victorian Novel

Looking over the literature of the XVIII century we will find the term of Victorianism as one of the most important and discussed, speaking of an era that will change the mentality and the reaction of the people all over the centuries. This term provides from the name of its leader-the woman that was crowned as queen, and remained to the crown 63 years under the name of QUEEN VICTORIA. Alexandrina Victoria was born on 24may 1819 in London and under the name of queen Victoria, was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland , starting with 20june 1837 until her death. At age of 18, Queen Victoria inherited Great Britains throne and after 3 years she married with Prince Albert who was her personal advisor, her moralistic and confidence person. Albert became an important political man and adviser. From all them love had born four boys and five girls, but because of this and being preoccupied by writing her memories, her influence in the state became more and more symbolic. Her most big interest over the politics, focused on foreign business and adding more possessions to her country. Victoria had an major interest in improvement of relations between France and Britain, visiting France several times. In 1861 queen Victorias mom died, and after this reading her mothers papers discovered that she loved her very much. At the end of the year Albert started to feel bad, dying on 14december in same year with Victorias mother. After all these she wore Black all her life and remained distant with the problems of the country, becoming the widow of Windsor. Her avoiding appearances encouraged the movement of the republicans. In her domination period have been 2 crucial moments that remained in history with the name of the moment: Golden Jubilee and Diamond Jubilee. In Golden Jubilee we meat an popular Victoria, fighting yet for her country and, in Diamond Jubilee it was a big celebration with great outpourings of affection from people addressed to the queen. After being sick of cataracts and remaining lame, she died in 1901 at age of 81. She preferred to be dressed in a white dress and with a wedding veil; after she was laid resting, outside it began to snow. Almost everything

took another form in her era: the literature, the architecture, the decorative arts, public ideas, politics and religion, and even fashion inspired by own Victorians style. This was the period when the literature took another form of expressing. In this period the novel became the leading form in England, writers addressing to other ideas in literature. Victorian architecture refers to several architectural styles employed during the middle and late 19th century and the name represents the British and French custom of naming architectural styles The styles included interpretations of historic styles mixed from the pass years and another passed styles combined with Asian influences. The most common styles of this architectural period are represented by beautiful buildings. The later years of Gothic Revival were classify by some historians as a distinctive Victorian style named High Victorian Gothic represented by a manner of geometric, machine-cut decorating derived from Queen Anne style. Painted Ladies and gingerbread were the terms used to describe certain Victorian buildings. Victorian decorative arts refer to the new style of decorative arts expressed during her era. Victorian design is about furniture, fittings, and interior decoration viewed as having excess of ornament. The Arts and Crafts movement and Art Nouveau style have their beginnings in the late Victorian era. Talking about this period we realize that the opinions are paradoxical different, on one hand we are hearing opinions contra Victorianism - how mediocre and an age of blackness was. The critic D.H. Lawrence said: Meanness and formless surroundings, ugly ideals, ugly religion, ugly hope, ugly furniture, ugly houses, ugly relationships. It seems that in her long government were big moments of transition inconstantly and constancy in clichs in every discourse on Victorianism. On the other hand we have opinions pro Victorianism that saw this period as the second English Renaissance and saw great expansion of wealth, power and civilization. In fact, this is the paradox that we are really meeting: many anxieties which that period had to deal with, have reappeared as issues of postmodernity. We can not forget about the astonishing innovation and changes in democracy, feminism, socialism, and even the new modern movements that took form.

We will also meet problems in religion, Evangelicalism being the religion of the middle class who set norms needed to be accepted by lower class and the Catholicism being regarded as intellectual suicide. Victorian Literature: the Victorian novel Trying to resolve another kind of problems, trying to debate another type of subjects, the literature of this period has treated very serious talking about realism, classes, political reforms and colonial expansion. We are talking about many writers that had the opportunity to complain about the miserable life or making autobiography, but all this in a new manner viewed with a Victorian eye. This means that they could describe more deeply the life of its characters with taboos, prejudices, religion, moral, social of course with the risk of being criticize or unaccepted by his fans. It was the time when the novel touched the apogee even being categorized in subdivisions: sensation novels, domestic novels, history novels, novels of mystery and suspense. Most of this novels were addressed to the middle class that needed to be more educate. The plot of Victorian novel is a romance and debates over this and normally for those times the rank. But, of all the most read plot was about marriage and the novel that heaved it was Jane Austins- Pride and Prejudice. It is time for woman to have power and express themselves and for this reason we find many books written by them. The changing social and economic situation of the countryside become plot for novels and may be seen in the novels of Thomas Hardy, Elizabeth Gaskell, Bronte sisters and Charles Dickens. Education, social panorama, humor, feminist criticism and romantic spirit were the subjects debated in all this novels. George Eliot novels such as Middlemarch, expressed literary realism, and the most important combine Victorian literary detail with intellectual breadth. Changing social and economic situation of the countryside was the perfect tool for Thomas Hardy ideas for novels. Perseverance, love and luck near a great story made Great Expectation an amazing novel typical for Victorianism. Woman writers released a poetic style combined with sagacious scrutiny of social practices; realistic, intelligent and deeply romantic Bronte sisters and Jane Austin. The home of the Bront family became the story of big cities and the literary

society, in their short lives Emily, Charlotte and Anne Bront producing masterpieces of fiction but not really appreciated by Victorian critics. By reading Pride and Prejudice- Jane Austen, Great Expectations- Charles Dickens, Wuthering Heights- Emily Bronte or Jude the obscure- Thomas Hardy we can find all this topics and even more, interesting stories and advices for life, beautiful techniques in text, all this creating a new modality of expressing and even giving to the reader a new perception. Violence, emotion, supernatural and passion were what Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte) was characterized as. It is time to remember about Gothic romanticism as Victorianism presented, examining gender-the power of woman, class and fiction. George Eliot, on her proper name Mary Ann Evans, was another important writer of the period who wished to write serious novels which would be taken seriously despite of other romantic novels. It was time to stop childhood and made instruction in way of Victorianism, making even children to read from a frail age, since they were capable. This is really what Victorianism was, an era of changing of great different ideas, of new terms including, of new plots and courage of feminism. From all the books of this poque I rather the complex novel of the courageous character of Great Expectation, that is considered a bildungsroman. I consider that the plot is extraordinary and is giving to readers an example of living in a cruel society. I also like this intensive period finding it interesting and opened to readers. Queen Victoria is an example itself for womans, that impressed an entire poque, influenced and inspired a lot of next literary currency and, even historian periods.