The Victorians

The Victorian authors we know of today are largely overshadowed by the works and beliefs of Queen Victoria.
Whatever they have written it will always be synonymous with the Victorian age.
While most of us remember being told the Victorian age was a time of repression and docility, it was also a time of mass contradictions.
While any mention of sex or bodily functions were banned in contrast public education for the masses was introduced and industrialisation was in full swing. There was a rising merchant, middle class which gave way to question which was morally ethically the right way to live? As a member of the Aristocracy forbidden to work or as someone who made their own fortune and therefore in control of it? Could good genes and good breeding still be considered the mark of a superior person? And what was the true role of the woman? A merely decorative addition to a family or a true force in it’s own right? While in later years the push for feminism was in force, writers were exploring the basic idea of woman’s rights. Although female writers still had publish under male pseudonyms, it was a start.
Emily Bronte, George Eliot and Charles Dickens all explore these great questions.
If your not so into the book there are fantastic film productions of all of ‘Silas Marner, ‘Tale of Two Cities’ and ‘Wuthering Heights’
May I recommend for anyone wanting to watch Tale of Two Cites the 1932 version is the best! Real silver screen classic. Grab a good coffee and sit back and enjoy! And let me know your thoughts! X