In 1838, the coronation of Queen Victoria opens the way to the Victorian era, which is a period of great advancement in many important spheres, such as medical, scientific and technological knowledge, along with the growth in population and urban development. The British Empire was expanding, and at its height with India, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, parts of Africa, and the Caribbean under its reign. Not only was it growing geographically but also commercially and politically as one-third of the world's financial and commercial transactions were carried out in Britain.
Its main rivals were Germany and the United States after the Civil War. The Crystal Palace, built to house the Great Exhibition of 1851, was one of the greatest engineering feats of the 19th century in Great Britain. Railways covered most of the country by 1848, and the Royal Mail put up its first postbox pillar in 1852 on the island of Jersey, and more on the mainland the following year, enabling easier communication. Along with economic and political growth, came an expansion in the use of the English language, as it was now spoken all over the world, from Africa to America and from India to Australia.
The extension of the British Empire to so many countries, so far from one another, led to English developing local variations and different accents. Most of all, they acquired an extensive number of new words, as the new territories had different flora, fauna, food, products and customs. For example, barbecue comes from the West Indies, chocolate from Mexico, and moccasin from the native North Americans. The novel became the most popular literary genre of the time and was often read aloud in the evenings, in well-to-do families or in large groups for the less literate.
therefore there was a need to avoid embarrassing topics especially for women and children the bront sisters grew up enjoying these evening readings which gave them a rich background in story-telling and then became writers themselves charlotte emily and anne all wrote stories and novels filled with emotions and impulses over reason weathering heights by emily jane eyre by charlotte and Agnes Grey by Anne were all published in 1847. Jane Eyre was an immediate success as it was in line with the values and morals of the time, whereas Wuthering Heights, with its passionate story, was appreciated much later after Emily's death. Literature for children became very important in this era and served to educate them. The themes that filled children's magazines and stories were very gender specific. Girls'stories tended to promote the role of women as wives and mothers and focused on family life, whereas boys'stories were more about adventures, encouraging recruits for the Navy and Army.
Several publications in magazines and newspapers were how most novelists of the time published their work. The stories were like today's TV series, coming out every week and leaving something to discover in the following episode. This is how Charles Dickens published most of his novels. There was interaction in the public in this way, as readers sometimes wrote letters to the authors with their reactions and impressions which could lead to changes in the storyline or to the conception of the novel. of the characters.
Many authors of the Victorian era focused on social issues. The Industrial Revolution had led to an increase in the density of the urban population, resulting in an extremely high level of poverty. The Poor Law of 1834, which gave food and board to the poor in jail-like conditions in exchange for very unpleasant jobs, and created urban slums. full of filth and misery, soon became synonymous with the Industrial Revolution.
Charles Dickens was very conscious of the class conflicts of the Victorian age and is one of the most representative authors of the time. Amongst his most famous novels are David Copperfield, dealing with the theme of childhood and growing up, and Oliver Twist, about an orphan who escapes from a workhouse and moves to London to end up joining a gang of thieves. Dickens also addresses issues of love or lack of it. in Dumbion's Son, and how the delays and complications in justice can ruin ordinary people's lives in Bleak House.