ash.p2.t2 Victorian Era

The Romantic Era preceded the Victorian Era, and even a cursory look at both periods of time shows how different they are from one another. The Romantic Era was a time when emotions and fantasy were prized, and the rigid logic of industry was disdained. In contrast, the Victorian Era was known for its faithfulness to the hierarchy between classes and high moral values. The Victorian Era relied on etiquette and social pressure to maintain an expected standard of ‘civilization’ that was lacking in the Romantic Era.

An examination of literature from these periods immediately shows how much the Victorian Era was a reaction to what was seen as the immoral excesses of the era preceding it. Frankenstein, written by Mary Shelley during the Romantic period, contains a plot fueled by the question of what man’s true relationship to nature and science should be. The characters are filled with powerful emotions and commit acts of rage and passion, but are not so concerned with propriety. In contrast, A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens is filled with characters whose troubles are caused by their social standing and their poverty. Their problems are real-world ones and require no suspense of disbelief. The humans are concerned not with their standing with nature, but with their standing with each other. When the stories written by Shelley and Dickens are compared, it is clear the Victorian Era, led by Queen Victoria herself, was a reaction against the ideals of the period in time before it.