Introduction to the Victorian Age

The Victorian Age (1830-1900)

The Victorian Age came after the Romantic Period. The Victorian Age is named after Queen Victoria, who was ruling at that time. In that period were huge changes. The economy and the army were developing big time. Great Britain became a modern industrialized country. A great gap between poor and rich was created. Because of that lots of people left the country land to find work in the factory’s in the city. They lived in horrible circumstances in the overfull cities.

Now you know something about the background of this age, enjoy the rest of our findings...
Nina, Kim, Merel, Lotte and Rowan

Characteristics of the Age

Victorian literature:
- Melancholic » a lot of sad feelings
- Slightly romantic
- Sentimental
- Close to daily life » problems and interests
- Desire to regret
- Beat the nobility
- Unclear and unsharp
- Full of life
- Idealistic

Victorian Drama:
- Funny
- For entertainment and teach at the same time
- New focus on spontaneity
- New ideology
- Melodrama » emotional impact

Focus on Language

The public language of the Victorian Age was known for its politeness and its use of euphemisms.
When Charles Dickens enters, words as damn and hell make there entrance. Also the use of sexual metaphors started. For example; in an interesting condition, this meant pregnancy. It was also the time prostitution began to be seen as a social problem, “The fallen woman” (woman who had sexual intercourse out of wedlock) Were a great inspiration for mid-Victorian literature. They were presented as victims in the sentimental literature.

Focus on Drama: Dorian Gray

Author’s information
Oscar Wilde was born in 1854 in Dublin. His mother was also a writer, but a very nationalistic one. His father wrote also books, but was in the first place a surgeon. Oscar Wilde studied classical languages at a college in Dublin. In 1875 he travelled to Italy with a former teacher of him and to years later also to Greece. In that time, it was a weird thing to travel to the places where the languages origin from. He was very interested in art and thought that the only function of art was that it should be nice to look at, so with no deeper meaning. After his study, he started to write plays. He got married in 1884 with Constance Lloyd and they brought two sons into the world. In 1892 he wrote “The Picture Of Dorian Gray”, of which I will tell you about later on. He met a man, Lord Alfred Douglas, and fell in love with him. His wife left him and took the children with her. He got arrested because he was gay, and he had to be in prison for two years. He died in Paris, in 1900, very poor and lonely, just after he converted himself to Catholicism on his death-bed.

Information about the story
Oscar Wilde wrote this novel in 1892. The Picture of Dorian Gray is considered a work of classic gothic horror fiction. On September 9 2009 a movie adaptation of the story was released.


'Dorian Gray' Movie trailer 2009

Short summary
Dorian Gray is a handsome young man. His best friend, Basil, made a portrait of Dorian, but Basil found it too perfect, he’s afraid that it shows too much of himself. So he gives the portrait to Dorian. Dorian found the portrait very beautiful and he hopes and wishes that he could always stay that handsome as he is at that very moment.
Then he fell in love with a girl, Sibyl Vane, an actress. He went to some of her plays. But when she saw that Dorian was in the audience, she got very nervous and she ruined her whole part in the play. She committed suicide. Dorian went home after the play and saw that his portrait had gotten an evil face. In the following 18 years, the picture got even more evil, older and uglier, due to all the bad things he did. On the other hand, Dorian didn’t got older at all. At the end of the story, Dorian couldn’t take eternal youth and he killed Basil, the man who made the painting, because he blamed him for all his misery. After that, he put his knife in the painting. When the housekeeper came to his room, she found Dorian on the floor with a knife in his chest. He died. The painting went back to his old version, on which he was still young and handsome.

References to The Victorian Age
The Victorian Age has a couple of characteristics (see above) which can be found in Dorian Grey. The story is written in a very brilliant way. You can notice that the writer, Oscar Wilde, really thought his story true. He wrote it with as mission to let the reader find a hidden a hidden, deeper meaning in the story. In this story, there’s the lesson hidden that you must not love yourself too much because then things get out of hand.

Focus on Drama: Oliver Twist

Author’s information
Charles Dickens, born in Landsport on February 7 in 1812, was one of the most important writers of the Victorian Age. There were some financial difficulties in the Dickens family, so Charles often had to leave school to work in bad circumstances, this will later be an inspiration for his literature. His works often reply to the societies’ differences, but he also added a lot of humor to his stories.

Information about the story
Oliver Twist is one of those important works, which is also known as The Parish Boy's Progress. This was Charles Dickens’ second novel, a social novel, it refers to a boy that escapes from a workhouse and gets into contact with criminally active boys. The story has been used for movies and series several times.


'Oliver Twist' Movie trailer 2005

Short summary
Oliver Twist was born as the son of a wanderer. He ends up in a workhouse where life is a living hell. One day a man arrives, send by the town council, telling that Oliver has turned nine that day and that he is no longer allowed to stay at the workhouse so he is send into the streets of London. One Mr. Sowerberry takes care of him, he is a coffin maker. This also isn’t the life for Oliver; he has to do everything and he sleeps under Mr Sowerberry’s counter. Oliver is thrown into the street again and he gets into contact with a criminal gang. He is trained to be a pickpocket but the gang members didn’t think of him as a good student. Bill Sikes is one of the gang members but thinks good of Oliver, Bill has a girlfriend named Nancy, she’s a hooker, which is seen to be sad. Oliver thinks she’s a loving girl. One day, Oliver is caught by the police because of wrong information collected from citizens who had seen a robbery at the kiosk, but after the kiosks owner admits that Oliver isn’t the bas guy, he is send out to the street again but one Mr. Brownlow takes care of him. Oliver runs away from this man and commits crime, which causes him to be put into prison, but not for long, because Mr. Brownlow negotiates with the police and gets him out. Oliver’s on the street again and the gang members attack him. He’s really injured but a man helps him and he has several women who take care of him and the towns doctor also helps along. Oliver’s recovering period takes quite a while. The man and his women visit, along with Oliver, all the people who have ever taken care of him, only Mr. Brownlow has taken a vacation to India, but all the others are happy to see Oliver Twist again.

References to The Victorian Age
The Victorian Age has a couple of characteristics (see above) which can be found in Oliver Twist. First is the melancholic sphere in Oliver Twist. He has miserable living conditions for a good part of the story and his goes from the street to al lot of bad places, and back again. This also shows the urge to be more realistic and less romantic than before. The sentimental part is the end, where Oliver visits his former homes and everybody is happy to meet him again. Oliver also regrets some things he has done, even though he is partly not guilty for the things he is claimed to have done. Partially, Oliver Twist is a idealistic story. It really clings to brotherhood and although people around him don’t see it, Oliver is a good and polite boy.
All together, the story of Oliver Twist is clearly a typical Victorian Age story; a lot of the characteristics are taken into his personality, surrounding and everything that happens to him.

Focus on Drama: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Author’s information
Robert Louis Stevenson born in Scotland on November 13 in 1850. He was an admired Scottish novelist, poet, essayist and travel writer. One of his most famous works is called ‘Treasure Island’, published in 1883, this was Stevenson's first novel. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, published three years later, became a best-seller. Kidnapped came out the same year and his career was established.

Information about the story
The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is a novel written by the Scottish writer Robert Louis Stevenson. The Book was published in 1886. Stevenson wrote the book in three days and the book was an enormous success. This novel was the most popular book Stevenson ever wrote.
The book is made into a movie and also into a musical. In 1910 the first film was made and in 1920 the most famous film version was made called “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde”. Frank Wildhom and Leslie Briscusse turned the book into a musical and this musical was also made into a movie.


Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Movie trailer 2002

Short summary
The story is about Dr. Jekyll who wants to investigate the problem of good and evil. He thinks that they both exist in human beings. He wants to separate these two natures. The result of the experiment is that the evil nature prevails. With the anti poison he made, he can return to his good nature.
The result of the experiment is the evil creature Mr. Hyde.
Jekyll and Hyde are the same person. When Jekyll is Hyde, he commits all kinds of crimes and in the end he murders someone. The anti poison works less effective than before and when the crime is almost exposed he commits suicide.
The reader follows the story through the eyes of Mr. Utterson. He sees Jekyll as well as Hyde but just as the reader he isn’t informed by the fact that Jekyll and Hyde are the same person.

References to The Victorian Age
The Victorian Age has a couple of characteristics (see above) which can be found in Jekyll and Hyde. At first the story is melancholic; a lot of sad feelings are expressed in it. For example when Dr. Jekyll commits suicide. Also the story exposes the problems of daily life. The book is about the contradiction between good and evil.

Focus on Drama: Wuthering Heights

Author’s information
Emily, Charlotte and Anne Brontë were three sisters who wrote English novels between 1840 and 1850. Their novels were important to the English literature. At an early age, the Brontë sisters enjoyed themselves by writing their own plays and stories. They also wrote a lot of poems. In 1846 the three sisters published their own collection of poems. Afterwards they all wrote one or more novels on their own.
The most famous sister, Emily Jane Brontë was born in 1818 and she was only thirty years old when she died. Emily used to write ever since she was a child, but only few of her work were saved. Emily used another name to publish her books. This was a male name called ‘Ellis Bell’.

Information about the story
The most popular novel Emily wrote was called ‘Wuthering Heights’. This book was published in 1847, just one year before she died. The book is named to be a piece of classic English literature. Wuthering Heights was translated into multiple languages and made into a movie several times. Nowadays you can also see it in the theatres.


'Wuthering Heights' Movie Trailer 1992

Short summary
Wuthering Heights is a house in a deserted town, only a few miles away from Thrushcross Grange. The owner of the house, Mr. Earnshaw, brings home an orphan boy. His name is Heathcliff. Earnshaws son, Hindley, decides that he hates Heathcliff immediately but Earnshaws daughter Catherine feels a great attraction to him. She loves him more than herself.
One day Catherine and Heathcliff go to Thrushcross Grange to play. While playing Catherine gets bitten by a dog. The Linton family, who live at Thrushcross Grange, invite Catherine inside but Heathcliff isn’t aloud to join her because of his appearance.
When Catherine returns to Wuthering Heights five weeks later she’s changed completely. She now behaves like a real lady. Catherine tells her nanny, Nelly Dean, she can’t marry Heathcliff because he’s of a lower social status. Heathcliff hears this conversation and leaves Wuthering Heights and returns after three years. While he was gone Catherine married Edgar Linton and they live at Thrushcross Grange together.
Heathcliff visits her very often and gets really emotional every time he sees her. When Catherine gets pregnant with Edgar she dies while giving birth to her daughter Cathy. Heathcliff marries Isabella, Edgar’s sisters. They get a child together as well, a little boy named Linton.
When Hindley and Isabella die, Heathcliff and Linton are the only ones left living at Wuthering Heights. Edgar’s daughter Cathy falls in love with Linton right after she saw him. But her father forbids her to go to Wuthering Heights ever again because he dislikes Heathcliff. Nevertheless Cathy still visits Linton secretly. Heathcliff forces her to marry his son. Soon after the marriage Linton dies. Also Edgar and Heathcliff die, both very happy because they feel close to Catherine.


Fragments of the movie 'Wuthering Heights' 2009

References to The Victorian Age
The Victorian Age has a couple of characteristics (see above) which can be found in Wuthering Heights as well. First of all, the story is very melancholic and sentimental. It’s a very tragic love story with a lot of sad feelings. The story also contains a lot of things which can relate to daily life in the Victorian Age. This shows in the main themes; love, passion, hate, revenge and selfishness.

Quotes

Oscar Wilde - Dorian Grey
“How sad it is! I shall grow old, and horrid, and dreadful. But this picture will remain always young. It will never be older than this particular day of June…. If it was only the other way! If it was I who were to be always young, and the picture that were to grow old! For this-- for this-- I would give everything! Yes, there is nothing in the whole world I would not give!”

“… there is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about.”

“Those who are faithful know only the pleasures of love: it is faithless who know love’s tragedies.”

“How dreadful!” cried Lord Henry. “I can stand brute force, but brute reason is quite unbearable. There is something unfair about its use. It is hitting below the intellect.”

Emily Brönte - 'Wuthering Heights'

“Yesterday afternoon set in misty and cold. I had half a mind to spend it by my study fire, instead of wading through heath and mud to Wuthering Heights.”

“I am now quite cured of seeking pleasure in society, be it country or town. A sensible man ought to find sufficient company in himself.”

“… he’s more myself than I am. Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same, and Linton’s is as different as a moonbeam from lightning, or frost from fire.”

“My love for Linton is like foliage in the woods. Time will change it, I’m well aware, as winter changes the trees – my love for Heathcliff resembles the eternal rocks beneath – a source of little visible delight, but necessary.”

“Is Mr. Heathcliff a man? If so, is he mad? And if not, is he a devil? I shan’t tell my reasons for making this inquiry; but I beseech you to explain, if you can, what I have married…”

R. L. Stevenson - Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

“His friends were those of his own blood or those whom he had known the longest; his affections, like ivy, were the growth of time, they implied no aptness in the object.”

“Dr. Lanyon: You’re a rebel, and see what it has done for you. You’re in the power of this monster that you have created.
Dr. Jeckyll: I’ll never take that drug again!
Dr. Lanyon: Yes, but you told me you became that monster tonight not of your own accord. It will happen again.”

“Dr. Jeckyll: It never will. I’m sure of it. I’ll conquer it!
Dr. Lanyon: Too late. You cannot conquer it. It has conquered you!”