The Victorian Era

The Victorian era was more prosperous than the preceeding eras; largely because of the profit from the colonies of the British Empire, allowing a large middle class to develop. Britian was not involved in any major wars from 1815, at the Battle of Waterloo, until 1914 and the beginning of World War II, however there were multiple rebellions and conflicts in their colonies. In 1832 a reform act was passed, making major changes to the electoral system and allowing a larger portion of the population to vote in parliament. There were several movements attempting to limit labor abuses, particularly a law passed in 1842 which prohibited women and children from working in coal, iron, tin, and lead mines; however child labor continued into the 20th century.

While the Victorians were concerned with social reform, without entirely discrediting them it seems that much of this was an arbitrary and superficial effort to establish a "civilized" society. The Victorian middle class generally attempted to edit out topics such as death, birth, sex, or any other subject which they considered "uncivilized" or unpleasant. The Victorians valued material progress, cleanliness and order, and generally swept anything which they felt might be otherwise under the rug. The streets of the rich and middle class were kept clean and well lit, and a large police force was established to keep the poor on the correct side of the railroad tracks. Many of the lower class accepted this and placed primary importance on maintaining the appearance of civility and the maintaning of the "Victorian ideal", as though it were something which actually benifited them.

The Victorian Era appears to be mainly a violent reaction against the chaos which occured in the time of the Romanticist movement. this they set themselves up on stilts and placed bans and taboos and on anything they considered be anything other than pleasant and dandy, creating a superficial social veneer; they seemed to feel that as long as they stayed inside these parameters, their material comfort and safety was ensured.

Most Victorian writers were against this view of the world, considering the current society to be superficial and materialistic. Some gave descriptions the sufferings and passions of the world outside of their social constructs, intentionally breaking the taboos and decorums of the Victorians against horrors the uncontrolled and unpleasantness. They considered their writing an attempt to change others perception of the world, raising questions towards society and social priorities and revealing a world beyond the material, focusing on the eternal and transcendental.