Benha University Faculty of Arts Dept of English
Benha University Faculty of Arts Dept. of English Subject: History of English Language and Literature in the 18 th & 19 th Centuries Grade: Third Year students Lecturer: Dr. Wafaa M. El-Deftar Week 10: Victorian Age Part I (Historical & Social Contexts)
VICTORIAN AGE Part I Historical context Social context
Historical Context Queen Victoria’s reign (1837 -1901) l l Longest reign in English history Period of unprecedented material progress imperial expansion political and constitutional development HOME POLICY: Political and Social Reforms FOREIGN POLICY: colonialism + imperialism
Queen Victoria worked for the peace and prosperity of her country was able to keep at bay any conflict over constitutional matters reigned constitutionally avoiding the storm of revolutions played a more active role became a mediator above political parties model for her people: exemplary family life, strictly respectable and decent code of behaviour (Victorianism) beloved especially by the middle class who shared her moral and religious views
Historical Context - Home policy POLITICAL and SOCIAL REFORMS l l l l 1832 – First Reform Act 1833 – Factory Act 1834 – Poor Law Amendment Act 1838 – the People’s Charter (Chartism) 1842 – Mines’ Act 1847 – Ten Hours’ Act 1867 – Secon Reform Act l l l 1872 – Ballot Act 1870 – Elementary Education Act 1875 – Public Health Act 1884 – Third Reform Act 1880 -1900 – Fabian Society Women’s Social and Political Union (Suffragettes)
Historical Context – Home Policy Britain was a model of industrial success, individual freedom and constitutional government Upper and industrial middle-classes believed in a policy of “laissez-faire” ie. non-interference with industry or with national economy in order to promote free trade and free competition (=Liberalism) triumph of industry (steam engine, steamboats, shipbuilding, trains, iron industry) scientific progress (electricity, telegraph, gas-lighting, stamp+postal system, medicine)
Historical Context – Foreign Policy THE BRITISH EMPIRE Imperialism = territorial expansion, colonies abroad During the Victorian Age the British Empire reached its largest extension: it was called “the Empire where the sun never sets” British Imperial power was sustained by: • willingness to protect British trade routes and interests against other nations; to gain new terrotories • firm belief in the excellence of English culture and institutions
Historical Context – Foreign Policy During the Victorian age most British citizens believed in their right to an empire and thought that imperial expansion would absorb excess goods, capital and population They were also extremely proud of their empire and of spreading their civilisation and culture to every corner of the globe (Jingoism=aggressive patriotism) colonial expansion was seen as a mission this was “the white man’s burden”
The British Empire l l Many Between 1853 and 1880, large scale immigration to British colonies In 1857, Parliament took over the government of India and Queen Victoria became empress of India. Many British people saw the expansion of empire as a moral responsibility. Missionaries spread Christianity in India, Asia, and Africa.
Historical Context – Foreign Policy But at the moment of its greatest power Britain also discovered that every conquered area or land had new dangers to be controlled or stopped Britain found itself involved in a contradiction between its imperial ambition and its liberal ideas This contradiction would lead to the collapse of the British Empire in the 20 th century.
Historical Context – Foreign Policy 1839 -1842 Opium War against China 1853 -1856 Crimean War 1857 Indian Mutiny 1877 Queen Victoria was named “Empress of India” 1882 occupation of Egypt 1884 invasion of Sudan 1899 -1902 Boers’ War
Socio-cultural Context Urbanization Britain became a nation of town dwellers Extraordinary industrial development Overcrowding Poverty – appalling living conditions in slums (squalor, disease, bad sanitation, crime, high death rate) Terrible working conditions (polluted atmosphere, disatrous effects on health especially on children)
Socio-cultural Context VICTORIAN COMPROMISE A set code of moral values that explained the general tendency to be excessively puritanical and to avoid taking definite positions
Socio-cultural Context l l l l Material progress + wealth emerge from hard work Appearance is very important Respectability = a mixture of both morality and hypocrisy, severity and conformity to social standards Philanthropy = charitable activity addressed to every kind of poverty Victorian family = a patriarchal unit where the husband was dominant and the wife was the angel in the home (The fallen woman) Patriotism Private life was separated from public behaviour
Socio-cultural Context It was a particular situation which saw two opposing aspects of life: on one side PROSPERITY and MATERIAL SCIENTIFIC PROGRESS, ETHICAL CONFORMISM, MORALISM and PHILANTHROPY which opposed on the other side POVERTY, UGLINESS, CORRUPTION, MONEY and CAPITALISTIC GREEDINESS as the period witnessed many troubles including: Unemployment, Poverty, Rioting, Slums in large cities, and terrible Working conditions for women and children.
- Slides: 15