维多利亚时代英国文学课件.pptVIP

Victorian Literature Victorian era Refers to the time during the reign of Queen Victoria 1837-1901 Victorian era The Victorian era is characterized by English imperialism. England was rapidly expanding. Queen Victoria was named Empress of India The Victorian era is also thought to be a time of rigid morals and repressed sexuality. Reading became a new past time because some theatre was regarded as “immoral” Homosexual behavior was regarded as a criminal offense and several writers like Oscar Wilde were sentenced to hard labor for engaging in “homosexual activities” 19th Century novel The novel became the leading form of literature in the Victorian age, and the 19th century is often regarded as the high point of British literature Famous Victorian writers include: the Bronte sisters, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Charles Dickens, William Makepeace Thackeray, Oscar Wilde and Lewis Carroll Charles Dickens Dickens wrote his first novel at the age of 25, The Pickwick Papers, which became very successful He wanted to write entertaining pieces but his real goal was to offer commentary on the social challenges of the era, including the plight of the poor and the oppressed Like many writers his work started as more lighthearted, but near the end of the century it took a turn toward darker themes Victorian novel Victorian novels tend to focus on the difficult lives of characters, with the idealized notion that hard work, perseverance, love and luck win out in the end It follows the belief that virtue is rewarded and wrongdoers are punished There is usually a central moral lesson Children’s Literature The Victorians are credited with starting literature for children Because several laws were enacted which ended child labor, and began required education, more children were able to read Several authors wrote for children, and had an adult following as well, including Lewis Carrol (Alice in Wonderland) Gothic Literature Gothic literature is an example of “fantastic fiction” Often