Empire
The Victorian Era saw the rise of the British Empire until it was so large that it was said that the sun never set on it. There were many reasons for Britain's increased imperialism. Other European nations were successful in colonizing other areas, and Britain wanted to compete as a global power and not become vulnerable to other growing European empires. There were many valuable and unutilized resources such as gold and precious gems in other area of the world where people did not live or the people who lived there did not use those materials in their economy. Seizing those resources could make Britain very wealthy. A lot of these resource-rich lands did not have the wealth, Christian religion, education, or medicine that Britain had, and the British felt that it was their moral responsibility to share these things with "inferior" peoples. With the advent of evolutionary science, many people manipulated that science to prove that certain civilizations were naturally inferior or less evolved than Britain thus justifying their subjection. The video below shows bubbles representing different European empires. Watch as Britain in particular grows dramatically after Queen Victoria takes the throne in 1837 through the 1800's. You can also see how all of the European empires implode in the twentieth century.
The Woman Question
As you can see in the timeline below, the women's rights movement in Britain took off in the Victorian Era. While legal and institutional changes did not come until the mid-1800's, the conversation about women's rights was getting underway at the beginning of the Victorian Era. Right of the timeline is the poem, "The Paragon" from The Angel in the House by Coventry Patmore, that sums up the ideal Victorian woman. Contrast Patmore's view of women and women's roles with the sections of Elizabeth Barrett Browning's Aurora Leigh in your text book.
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The Paragon by Coventry Patmore
When I behold the skies aloft Passing the pageantry of dreams, The cloud whose bosom, cygnet-soft, A couch for nuptial Juno seems, The ocean broad, the mountains bright, The shadowy vales with feeding herds, I from my lyre the music smite, Nor want for justly matching words. All forces of the sea and air, All interests of hill and plain, I so can sing, in seasons fair, That who hath felt may feel again. Elated oft by such free songs, I think with utterance free to raise That hymn for which the whole world longs, A worthy hymn in woman's praise; A hymn bright-noted like a bird's, Arousing these song-sleepy times With rhapsodies of perfect words, Ruled by returning kiss of rhymes. But when I look on her and hope To tell with joy what I admire, My thoughts lie cramp'd in narrow scope, Or in the feeble birth expire; No mystery of well-woven speech, No simplest phrase of tenderest fall, No liken'd excellence can reach Her, thee most excellent of all, The best half of creation's best, Its heart to feel, its eye to see, The crown and complex of the rest, Its aim and its epitome. Nay, might I utter my conceit, 'Twere after all a vulgar song, For she's so simply, subtly sweet, My deepest rapture does her wrong. Yet is it now my chosen task To sing her worth as Maid and Wife; Nor happier post than this I ask, To live her laureate all my life. On wings of love uplifted free, And by her gentleness made great, I'll teach how noble man should be To match with such a lovely mate; And then in her may move the more The woman's wish to be desired, (By praise increased), till both shall soar, With blissful emulations fired. And, as geranium, pink, or rose Is thrice itself through power of art, So may my happy skill disclose New fairness even in her fair heart; Until that churl shall nowhere be Who bends not, awed, before the throne Of her affecting majesty, So meek, so far unlike our own; Until (for who may hope too much From her who wields the powers of love?) Our lifted lives at last shall touch That happy goal to which they move; Until we find, as darkness rolls Away, and evil mists dissolve, That nuptial contrasts are the poles On which the heavenly spheres revolve. |
Child Labor
The industrial revolution was a catalysis for more than the pollution and dirty, unsafe living conditions discussed in the "A Time of Revolution" section on the Romanticism page. The new age of factory labor saw a laissez faire economic system that did not regulate the number of work hours in a week, the safety of working conditions, or age of the employees. As a result, many factory workers worked long work days in dangerous conditions. Many of these workers were children as young as seven-years-old. To read more about child labor and child labor reform, click here. These conditions continued into the Victorian Era where the discussion of labor reform began to get serious. Elizabeth Barrett Browning's poem, "The Cry of the Children" (written in 1843) in your textbook, is dripping with appeals to national pride and religious beliefs to end child labor. Also keep this environment in mind while reading Charles Dickens's Hard Times.
Robert Browning
While we talked about how the Romantic poets believed that language should be beautiful, Robert Browning departs from this idea with his unique style characterized by clumsy rhythms, grotesque rhymes, and jaw-breaking diction. His poem, "Porphyria's Lover" is no exception. As you listen to the recording, notice the harsh and deliberately ugly diction and the strange third rhyme. This poem follows an odd ABABB CDCDD, ect. rhyme scheme that gives the poem a sort of off-kilter rhythm. This could be seen as a reflection of the speaker's apparent madness. The idea of having an insane speaker is rather new as well as the Victorian Era saw the very beginnings of the science of psychology. Browning also tells this poem, along with many of his other poems, as a dramatic monologue. This follows the trend of poems becoming more and more narrative throughout the Victorian Era.
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"The Lady of Shallot"
Alfred Lord Tennyson's poem, "The Lady of Shallot" inspired a lot of painting interpretations of the poem. Below are a few examples.What do all these paintings have in common? How do their interpretations of the Lady differ?
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
After reading The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, you have the choice of one of two projects.
- Dr. Jekyll decides to test his theory of the two sides of human nature by performing an experiment on himself with potent drugs. He knows death is possible but decides the potential knowledge is worth the risk. Today, scientists still explore life-alternating experiments, which are unclear whether they will benefit or harm our society (such as cloning or genetic manipulation). Find an article from a newspaper or the Internet that discusses a scientific advancement you believe falls under this category. Using the example you find, write a paper arguing for or against limits for scientific experimentation. Papers should be between two and three pages.
- Some folk or fairy tales
end with an explicit moral that teaches the meaning of the story. What do you believe is the moral of this novel? Write a paper sharing what you believe the moral to be and explain why or how you arrived at this statement of the main idea of the novel. Use textual evidence from the novel. Papers should be between two and three pages.
Charles Dickens's Hard Times
Below is the study guide for Hard Times. Always look at the questions of the chapters that you have assigned for class. We will use these questions to start our class discussion or we will discuss them in small groups. I may ask you to complete some sections as homework and turn them in at class.
Hard Times Newspaper Project
Below are the guidelines for the Newspaper Project. Your newspapers are due in class on March 10th. You will have some class time to work on them in the computer lab the week before they are due.
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Last Updated: 11/17/2013