Morality in Victorian and Neo-Victorian Novels An essay on Jane Eyre, The Mill on the Floss, The French Lieutenant's Woman, Possession and The Dress Lodger The Victorian era is one bound to morality. Morality is also defined through the traditional and religious standards that structure the way of life for many Victorians. Morality is defined as the proper principles and standards, in respect to right and wrong, which are to be practiced by all humanity. Ideally, these include obtaining
started to sort itself out. First, he married Emily Sellwood, after being engaged since 1838. Then, he was named the Poet Laureate by Queen Victoria following fellow poet William Wordsworth. This title made Tennyson the most respected poet of the Victorian era. And finally, in 1850, Tennyson published his masterpiece, In Memoriam A.H.H. The majority of Tennyson’s works are elegiac in nature and includes themes of grief (“Ulysses”), clearly drawing from his experience in losing Hallam. Due to the extensive
Goblin Market is one of the masterpieces of Christina Georgina Rossetti, composed in 1859 and was published in 1862 in Goblin Market and Other Poems. She was an English poet in Victorian era, a period when Bible was chiefly and frequently read and people were too religious. Also, it was the time of sexual repression, to enjoy or to talk about sexual passion was considered a sin. Moreover, women were confined to their home and education was denied, it was an era of male dominance. The poem might
The Importance of Being Earnest was one of Wilde’s Victorian melodramas. There are plenty elements of satire, intellectual travesty, a comic take on Victorian manners and an appealing superficial-ness that makes it a light comedy. Behind this charade of humor though lie deeper, more serious undertones. The play is a take at the extreme hypocrisy and cloying moralism’s that were distinct marks of the Victorian era. In Act I of The Important of Being Earnest, the term and concept of ‘Bunbury’ is first
The Victorian Era is synonymous today with a strict moral code, enormous personal responsibility, and almost suffocating conformist social pressure. Alcohol and drug use, seemingly without question, would therefore be antithetical to Victorian values. In fact, that was in many ways not the case. Drug use, and even abuse, was widespread in the English upper classes, and had few social consequences. Alcoholism was seen as a vice, and at times the Temperance Movement was a real force against drinking
morals of the Victorian Era gained renown for their strict socials roles that existed for both men and women. However, Oscar Wilde rejected these morals as he not only wrote characters but also acted as a character who flippantly disregarded the strict moral code. In his play The Importance of Being Earnest, Wilde elicits a thoughtful laughter through the constant hypocrisy and non-sequitous behaviours of Lady Bracknell. Wilde uses her to explore the hypocrisy that he detested within Victorian Society
Victorian morality describes the moral views and social expectations of people living at the time of Queen Victoria's rule from 1837 to 1901 which completely contrasted any morality in pervious eras. Victorians encouraged hard work, morality, social respect and religious conformity. Today, the term “Victorian morality” can describe any set of values that exercise sexual restraint, intolerance of criminality and a strict social code of conduct. The word "Victorian" has a wide range of connotations
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man in the Victoria Age. The Double Standard of Morality by Josephine Butler and Victorian Theories of Sex and Sexuality by Elizabeth Lee give us insight into ideas people had about sex and sexuality during the Victorian era. We see that sex was considered an unavoidable part of life. Sex was “man [and] woman's ultimate goal” (Lee). Victorians believed that “the essence of right and wrong [was.…] dependent on sex” (Lee). Meaning that how you were publicly known
sounds idealistic. She rebelliously and romantically toys with pursing the "immoral brother," but clearly she will shape him into the man she wants him to be. The name of Ernest is also important to her. Both Gwendolen and Cecily are products of the Victorian concept in which how one accomplishes is more important than why. Though seeming very similar Cecily and Gwendolen are divergent in certain aspects, Gwendolen is confident and knowing, while her mother has taught her to be short-range. She is also
English 1404-3 14 May 2016 Victorian Hunger The play The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde was written and set during the Victorian era, a time when the desire for social approval and status controlled the rituals, appearances, and attitudes of the middle and upper class. The search for moral recognition in society was the commonly conspired front that masked the people’s selfish ambitions. Oscar Wilde felt strongly towards the reformation he believed his time period needed, having been
as, Profession for Women. In the essay, Profession for Women Woolf discusses, “the Victorian phantom known as the Angel in the House that selfless, sacrificial woman in the nineteenth century whose sole purpose in life was to soothe, to flatter, and to comfort the male half of the world’s population.” The essay shows how women struggled daily with the views Victorian society placed upon them. The ways of the Victorian era transcended over into the modernist times because some women were too afraid
In John Mill 's’ essay, “The Subjection of Women”, Mill evaluates and analyses, the social differences between the sexes of the Victorian era. Mills raises some valid points about the subjection of women pertaining to the 19th century. Mills argues that during this time women are treated by their husbands as slaves to a master, not offered an equal opportunity in terms of employment, and their educational achievements aren’t recognized nearly as much as their male counterpart. In my opinion women’s
Alfred Lord Tennyson offers oblique reflection on a number of major Victorian themes and subjects in his poem “The Lady of Shalott”. The most prominent theme that appears in the poem is the idea of passion and love in a woman. The poem is simply about the way women were suppressed from their feelings and everything else during the Victorian era. Tennyson’s poem shows the commentary of society's oppression of women during the Victorian era. Tennyson takes the knowledge of women’s entrapment in society
Old is Gold Irish playwright Oscar Wilde sparked uproar during Britain’s Victorian Era with witty literature that cemented his legacy as being one of the greatest playwrights in history. Wilde’s acclaimed ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ showcases the satirical craftsmanship of his epigram. Times have changed since this satirical play was written and with this opens up questions that is it still funny nowadays. The play explores the themes of marriage, death, and the pun on the word earnest by using
eras, such as the Victorian age, poems were inartistic, traditional, and very structured. The poems of this time period mirrored the style of dress and general atmosphere exhibited during this era. During the Victorian age people wore very fancy, intricate, and modest clothing. These trends matched the proper, structured, and grammatically correct characteristics showcased in poems created during this time. In contrast, the modernist era is the complete opposite of the Victorian age. For example,
sparks social movements that lead to change. During the 19th century in Victorian England, the rights granted to women in society were far from tantamount to their male counterparts. Because of the perseverance of Victorian women during times of gender inequality, a positive outcome prevailed: global movements towards gender parity in society. From 1837 to 1901, Queen Victoria ruled England in a
Pre-Raphaelite movement, which can be seen, throughout her poetry. Rossetti, as a follower of the Pre-Raphaelite’s, endorsed ideas of unrequited love, acceptance of human mortality and redemption. These ideals both endorsed and challenged the Victorian morals of her era as Victorian morality was focused on repression, class structures, and religion often conflicting with the sexual desire and questioning nature of Rossetti’s poems. The poem Echo is a reflection of Rossetti’s view on the romance and grief in her
of widowed middle-class women a better understanding of Victorian era beliefs can be had. Victorians believed that there were separate spheres for the sexes, men had the public arena and women had the home. Victorians also believed that thrift was essential and poverty was always the fault of the poor individual, the poor could choose to better their situation. Not only is Curran looking to further the understanding of middle-class Victorian values but she is also trying to argue against the historical
sciences, and modern inventions. It is because of this time period, known as the Victorian Era, we have many of the modern conveniences, ideas, philosophies, and knowledge that we enjoy, and take for granted, on a daily basis. This period bridged the gap from the dark and medieval ages to our present and productive day. Authors, playwrights, and philosophers documented the changes that society underwent during the Victorian era. Oscar Wilde’s The importance of being earnest and even Charles Dicken’s
The Victorian era was one teetering on the edge of a revolution. It was an age of scientific, economic and industrial revolution, but most notably, it was an age of a mass existential crisis. The publishing of Darwin’s “Origin of Species” caused a seismic shift in the lives of the Victorians by contradicting both the scientific knowledge and religious views of society at that time. Not only did it go against every creation story told in the bible, it also gave scientists proof that the earth was