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Big Idea Overview and ResourcesBig Idea 1: Optimism and the Belief in Progress Big Idea 1: Optimism and the Belief in Progress Overview Victorian values, although the object of contempt for more than a century, still exist today. The most common Victorian ideals were self-improvement, moral earnestness, and the value of work. Samuel Smiles’s bestselling Self-Help emphasized the importance of thrift, hard work, and patience. The work of Queen Victoria’s favorite contemporary writer and poet laureate, Alfred, Lord Tennyson, defined moral earnestness. Those who subscribed to middle-class values strived to better themselves, which required them to invest heavily in materials on self-improvement. Periodicals that featured serialized novels, book reviews, travel articles, and current events were available. The published works of several Victorian novelists, including Charles Dickens and William Makepeace Thackeray, appeared in their self-edited journals. Literacy among British workers was high due to the affordability of published materials and the existence of publicly funded libraries. Britain remained at peace while violent political upheavals, coups, and revolutions broke out in continental Europe. Victorian Britain was officially a representative democracy; however, the right to vote initially was limited. The First Reform Bill allowed middle-class men to vote in 1832, and the vote came to working-class men in 1867. Women were allowed to vote in most local elections by the end of the nineteenth century. By the end of World War I, all men over twenty-one and women over thirty could vote. A new age of hope for real economic, social, and political mobility had begun. Britain chose commercial expansion over military conquest to build its empire. Colonial British rule did not seek centralized control; therefore, each British colony could have different laws. For example, colonial New Zealand became the first country in the world to allow all adults to vote, regardless of sex or race, in 1893. The British army, civil service, and law allowed some colonials to join their ranks. Mohandas Gandhi, who was born in India, was admitted to the British bar in 1889. Colonial rule brought with it an era of insensitivity and intrusion. Nonetheless, Victorian British subjects believed they were doing the right thing by introducing colonists to Western ways.
The Victorian Web: An Overview Charles Dickens Big Idea 2: The Emergence of Realism Overview In an age of transition during which old values were seemingly being destroyed, Victorians were conflicted and unsure about whom to trust. At the onset of the Industrial Revolution, it was believed that a nation of individuals free to pursue economic self-interest without government intrusion could become stronger and wealthier. Victorian thinkers Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill lent moral justification to this self-interest with their theory of Utilitarianism—the view that the ethical value of an activity is measured by the extent of its usefulness. Utilitarianism influenced Victorian politics and economics, and many businessmen put free-market and Utilitarian doctrines into practice. Free-market economic policy had consequences. Britain was a prosperous nation. But the number of poor had grown substantially. Conflict arose over whether the nation was responsible for helping the poor. Self-help proponents believed that the poor had no one to blame but themselves. Extreme Utilitarians argued that redistributing wealth from the rich to the poor would help the poor more then it would hurt the rich. Social Darwinists believed that prolonging the lives of the unfit weakened society as a whole. Determined Victorian thinkers including Thomas Carlyle, whose works inspired Karl Marx and Charles Dickens, spoke out on behalf of the poor and helpless. The more fortunate organized many charitable organizations, including the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) and the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Reports prepared to educate the middle-class about the plight of the poor led to legal reforms. Elizabeth Gaskell and Benjamin Disraeli, who was also a statesman, wrote novels that addressed England’s division between rich in poor. Other authors wrote novels that depicted working-class characters or paupers. These books proved powerful in teaching middle-class readers to appreciate the humanity of those less fortunate.
Classical Utilitarianism Big Idea 3: Disillusionment and Darker Visions Overview Victorians were admirable for their ability to engage in self-criticism. Even at the height of technological progress, Victorian thinkers were expressing doubts and concern over the nation’s direction. Thomas Carlyle worried that people would grow “mechanical in head and in heart, as well as in hand.” Those who were disillusioned had questions about the state of tradition, religion, and human nature. The Realist novel, which had been effective in awakening emotions, also proved successful at eliciting sentimentality or smugness. Darwinism inspired a new generation of writers, including French novelist Émile Zola, to consider whether natural rather than spiritual forces guided human life. Naturalist novels, plays, and poems featured a grim, almost fatalistic view of the world. The works of Thomas Hardy, written at the turn of the century, are known for their somber, fatalistic tone. As the nineteenth century ended, Victorian culture reflected a different mood. Decadence, which means “decline” or “decay,” was similar to Naturalism in its resistance to Victorian-age optimism. Naturalist writers had wanted their work to influence public opinion. Decadents, on the other hand, believed that art served no utilitarian purpose. The works of Oscar Wilde, one of the most famous Decadents, were known for their subversive wit. Decadents turned away from the comforts of religion and bourgeois life and embraced extremes in dress, behavior, and literary style.
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