The Victorian era of the United Kingdom lasted from 1837, when Queen Victoria was crowned monarch, until her death in 1901. The Victorian age was marked by extraordinarily rapid changes, of heady confidence in the inexorable march towards progress.
Perhaps, the most important change that transformed Britain from an agrarian economy (based on land ownership) to a modern urban economy (based on manufacturing and enterprise) was the industrial revolution. The nature of such a change hardly lent itself to poetic inspiration, and that is obvious from the works turned out during the period. Albeit, it is noteworthy that the Victorian age saw the rise of prose, especially novels – novels were, without doubt, the most creative output of the age.
Every age in literature attempts to define its own identity by revolting against the values and practices of its predecessors. This was true of the Victoria age too – who reacted against what they felt was the soppy, flighty, and saccharine sweet poetry of late Romanticism. Victorian era poets, such as Robert Browning and Tennyson, developed a more purposeful poetry that focused on narrative and concrete, everyday issues in the real world. The overarching character of Victorian-era poetry was a preference for the intellectual over the emotional. Poetry was turned into a forum for discussing the socio-cultural conflicts that preoccupied the leading minds of the time. In this manner, Victorian poets reacted against what they perceived to be excessive emotionalism of the Romantics and turned poetry into a rational, intellectual criticism of contemporary society. The works of the poets of the age displayed a strong concern for the problems of the age – the streak of social awareness that characterized the writings of the age confirmed the transformation of the poet into social activist. Some of the leading social activist-poets of the time were Lord Alfred Tennyson, Mathew Arnold, and Elizabeth Barrett Browning.
In addition to social concern, the other salient feature of Victorian poetry was religion. The Victorian age witnessed new discoveries and inventions of science that transformed the common man’s conceptions of the meaning and nature of world and life. Darwin’s theory of evolution brought Biblical myths under inspection and the consequent conflict between rationalism and faith become a defining characteristic of Victorian life. With the threat of potential religious annihilation looming large, religious poetry became an important aid to spread faith and reassert the importance of the divine. Victorian poets such as John Keble insisted that poetry could induce Christians to deeper acts of devotion. Famous hymns, such as Lead Kindly Light by John Henry Newman, were authored during the period. It is significant that despite the strong currents of skepticism that swept across Victorian society, religious concerns continued to hold sway over many minds.
Perhaps, the most important change that transformed Britain from an agrarian economy (based on land ownership) to a modern urban economy (based on manufacturing and enterprise) was the industrial revolution. The nature of such a change hardly lent itself to poetic inspiration, and that is obvious from the works turned out during the period. Albeit, it is noteworthy that the Victorian age saw the rise of prose, especially novels – novels were, without doubt, the most creative output of the age.
Every age in literature attempts to define its own identity by revolting against the values and practices of its predecessors. This was true of the Victoria age too – who reacted against what they felt was the soppy, flighty, and saccharine sweet poetry of late Romanticism. Victorian era poets, such as Robert Browning and Tennyson, developed a more purposeful poetry that focused on narrative and concrete, everyday issues in the real world. The overarching character of Victorian-era poetry was a preference for the intellectual over the emotional. Poetry was turned into a forum for discussing the socio-cultural conflicts that preoccupied the leading minds of the time. In this manner, Victorian poets reacted against what they perceived to be excessive emotionalism of the Romantics and turned poetry into a rational, intellectual criticism of contemporary society. The works of the poets of the age displayed a strong concern for the problems of the age – the streak of social awareness that characterized the writings of the age confirmed the transformation of the poet into social activist. Some of the leading social activist-poets of the time were Lord Alfred Tennyson, Mathew Arnold, and Elizabeth Barrett Browning.
In addition to social concern, the other salient feature of Victorian poetry was religion. The Victorian age witnessed new discoveries and inventions of science that transformed the common man’s conceptions of the meaning and nature of world and life. Darwin’s theory of evolution brought Biblical myths under inspection and the consequent conflict between rationalism and faith become a defining characteristic of Victorian life. With the threat of potential religious annihilation looming large, religious poetry became an important aid to spread faith and reassert the importance of the divine. Victorian poets such as John Keble insisted that poetry could induce Christians to deeper acts of devotion. Famous hymns, such as Lead Kindly Light by John Henry Newman, were authored during the period. It is significant that despite the strong currents of skepticism that swept across Victorian society, religious concerns continued to hold sway over many minds.
No comments:
Post a Comment