Victorian age literature

CHAPTER II. PERIOD IX. THE VICTORIAN PERIOD, ABOUT 1830 TO 1901 GENERAL CONDITIONS.
2.1. Victorian age characteristics of the epoch.
The last completed period of English literature almost coincides with the reign of the Queen Victoria, Queen 1837-1901 bearing her name, almost equal to the Elizabeth period in her importance and interest in her work. The literature of the Elizabeth period is, no doubt, in its creative and spiritual zeal, an expression of a period deeper than the Victorian period; but Victorian literature speaks of a period in which all conditions of life — material well-being, scientific knowledge, and, of course, intellectual and spiritual enlightenment — witnessed unprecedented great changes. In addition, Victorian literature is especially attractive to twentieth-century students because it is partly contemporary literature, and its ideas and views are largely ours. We need to start with a brief look at some of the common defining changes and conditions that have just been discussed, and of course, we can only start with material things. Before the accession of Queen Victoria, the ‘industrial revolution’, the mass development of production in the second half of the eighteenth century with the introduction of coal and steam engines made England the richest country in the world and the movement continued with a steadily growing momentum throughout the period⁷. In 1825, the population of England, which was less than thirteen million, almost tripled at the end of the period. The advent of steam railroads and steamships instead of rigid wagons and sailing ships disrupted the old stable and sedentary lifestyle and increased travel by at least a thousand times. The invention of the electric telegraph in 1844 brought almost all the important parts of Europe and, over time, the world closer to every citizen than the nearest county in the eighteenth century; From a few sad pages in 1825, the development of the modern newspaper daily and weekly in London, only weekly elsewhere brought full reports of world affairs to every door, instead of the long-delayed fragmentary rumors. for several hours. The increase in the health and happiness of the population due to the great advances in the sciences of medicine, surgery, and hygiene was equally astonishing. In fact, these sciences, in their modern form, actually began in 1860 with the discovery of bacteriological facts, and fifteen years after antiseptics, the beginning of an effective fight against the terrible epidemics previously considered, not much earlier. was. depends only on the will of Providence. Political and social progress, while not surprising, was significant. In 1830, England, the nominal monarchy, was, in fact, a plutocracy of the 15th century, with about a hundred thousand privileges - landowners, nobles and wealthy merchants. The first reform bill of 1832 was introduced into parliament under popular pressure, extending the right to vote to "middle-class" men, and subsequent bills of 1867 and 1885 made it universal for men. Meanwhile, the House of Commons gradually opposed the succession of the House of Lords, and thus England became perhaps the most democratic of the greatest nations in the world. At the beginning of the period , the social situation of the majority of the population was extremely difficult. Workers in factories, mines, and farms were often in a state of slavery, albeit not real but nominal, many of whom were in indescribable spiritual and physical conditions. Gradually, work improved, partly due to the adoption of laws and partly due to the growth of trade unions. By adopting corn laws in the middle of the century, replacing protection with free trade brought great relief by lowering food prices. Socialism , formed as a definite movement in the middle of the century, became a movement to be taken into account by the end, although most of the prosperous classes at that time still did not understand the need for long-term economic power. reforms and social change. However, during this period the humanitarian consciousness increased significantly⁸.
The middle and upper classes have to some extent awakened their duty to the poor, and charitable efforts, both organized and informal, have significantly increased their numbers and intelligence. In 1830, public education, which had nothing to do with the state and was imperfect in all respects, developed and eventually became compulsory in the early years. The change in earlier ideas about the nature and meaning of the world and life was probably more robust due to scientific discoveries. Geology and astronomy gradually made all thinking people realize the incredible duration of cosmic processes and the relative smallness of our Earth in the vast expanse of the universe. In 1859, in Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species, the gradual adoption of the theory of evolution, formulated in part by Lamarck, by almost all thinkers, was absolutely revolutionary in almost all areas of thought. . Thus, the development of the science of historical criticism has also confirmed the great changes in the form of religious beliefs. For religious change, this movement in its early stages encountered a very interesting reactionary movement, Oxford or Traktarian, which affirmed the supreme authority of the church and its traditional teachings . The most important figure in this movement was John Henry Newman 1801-1890, who clearly associated it with literature, the author of the anthem "Lead, Good Light," a charming personality, and a master of literary prowess. For fifteen years as a vicar of the Church of Oxford University, Newman was a great spiritual force in the English community, but the series Tacts for the Times, to which he made a major contribution, ended in 1841 the story of his gradual march toward Rome. . Later, as a recognized Catholic and monastic leader, Newman found himself in a literary conflict, especially with the clergy and writer Charles Kingsley, in a literary conflict that led to Newman’s famous Apologia pro Vita Sua Apology for My Life. showed as a strong polemicist. from the small literary masterpieces of the century. His services to the Catholic Church were recognized in 1879 with his appointment as a cardinal. Thus, several of the influences considered in a hurry are intertwined, giving rise to moral, social, and mental tensions, one of the main features of the literature of that period. It is more obvious than ever that many great writers, especially poets and novelists , acted not only with emotional or dramatic creative impulses, but also with a sense of message to broaden and elevate views for their time. the ideals of the masses of their colleagues. Therefore, in the literature of this period, there is no indifferent and cheerful intimacy of the Elizabeth period, and her mood is much more complex than that of the somewhat socially-minded pseudo-classic. While new influences have emerged in Victorian literature, they certainly have not squeezed out great common heritage trends. This literature is mostly romantic. From a social point of view, this should be clear; Victorian social humanism is simply an advanced form of the romantic democratic impulse of the eighteenth century. On the aesthetic side, although not as aggressive as in the previous period, there are also romantic features; with romantic power, Victorian literature often combines delicate classical ornamentation; indeed, it is so eclectic and complex that it takes on new and less sharply contradictory meanings when all known old terms are applied to it⁹. Until then, the period naturally falls into divisions; In particular, the development and triumph of romanticism, which had not yet been seriously attacked by scientific skepticism in its middle part , created an atmosphere of somewhat passive mood and optimism in both society and literature, which gave a very clear indication of the quality of "Middle Victoria." . Quality and its era are usually said with hatred by those who today are proud of their complete sophistication and superiority over all intellectual and emotional weaknesses . But there was also a comparative health in the lives and literature of the wealthy in the “middle of Victoria,” which could be commended no less than the unprecedented and, ultimately, shy freedom. and the restriction of the early twentieth century. The most important literature of the whole period is divided into three sections: essays, poems, and prose literature, which are best considered in this order. Lord Makoley. The first great figure in the chronological order of this period and one of the most brilliant and brilliant figures in English literature is Thomas Babington Macaulay e: The details of Macaulay’s life are known from English literature; a famous biography by his nephew, Sir George Trevelyan.] He embodied the energy and joy of material progress of the Victorian era, but did not fully influence Victoria's spiritual aspirations. Macaulay, a descendant of Scottish ministers and English Quakers, was born in 1800. His father was a relentless and selfless member of the Claphamites , a London-based anti-slavery group, and a company secretary who ruled Sierra Leone a disenfranchised black African state ; he also made a fortune in the African trade. From an early age, his son showed an almost incredible mental maturity and memory power. His eloquent reading began at the age of three, when he "often lay on the carpet in front of the fire, with a book on the floor, with a piece of bread in his hand." Once, in the fifth year of his life, when a servant poured a pitcher of hot coffee at his feet, he answered the housewife's sad questions : "Thank you, madam, you have suffered." From the beginning, it seemed almost impossible for him to forget something that had settled in his mind, even something that had crossed his mind. As a child, he wrote poetry and prose. However, these qualities and achievements did not make him a pedant. In both childhood and adulthood, although he was aggressive and exhibited misconceptions about his class, he was inherently natural and unaffected; and as a man he was one of the most sincere and gentle companions, spent generous time with his friends, and was one of the most interesting interlocutors. As he grew older¹⁰, he proved to be unique in his ability to read as well as in his behavior . He is said to have read the books faster than other people have been flipping through, and flipped through them as fast as anyone could flip through , but without superficiality. One of his middle-aged habits was to “walk as fast as other people walk and read a book faster than anyone else” throughout London, even in the busiest places. However, his remarkable ability was largely balanced by his lack of spirituality. This is seriously reflected not only in his works, but also in his personal taste. He paid little attention to nature ; like Dr. Johnson, he "found London for himself." It is said that once he saw the play “God Save the Queen,” it was the only time he could distinguish one tune from another. Even in the material sphere of life, he had very unusual limitations for English gentlemen. Apart from walking, which can be called his main occupation, he did not do any sports and did not pay attention to it, "could not swim, could not paddle, could not drive, could not skate, could not even shoot" and almost not riding a horse. on horseback. From private schools, Macaulay went to Trinity College in Cambridge, where he remained for the seven years required for a master’s degree. Despite his dislike of math, he eventually received an “unworthy” scholarship that did not include living in a university or other responsibilities, but was almost enough to support him during his seven-year career. During this time his father failed in his business, and for several years Macaulay was mainly engaged in the arduous work of rebuilding it and paying off creditors. In college he began writing prose and poetry for popular literary journals, and in 1825 published his Essay on Milton, the first of nearly forty literary, historical, and biographical essays, which he wrote for the next thirty or so years in the Edinburgh commentary. contributed for more than a year. He also studied nominal law and was admitted to the bar in 1826 , but showed no interest in the profession. In 1828 he was appointed commissioner of bankruptcy, and in 1830 he achieved the direct goal of his ambitions by taking a seat in parliament from a controlling aristocrat. Here he immediately became a speaker and a hard worker. Freedom of heart and soul took an active part in the adoption of the first reform bill in 1832, and at the same time led a rich social life in the society of the title¹¹.