The Victorian Age 1837－1901英国文学 教学课件.pptVIP

The Victorian Age 1832－1900 Egley conveys the claustrophobia of the inside of an omnibus (a horse-drawn carriage which travelled along a fixed route). All levels of society, from the old country woman with her piles of baggage to the city clerk with his cane, were forced to share a small compartment.Egley painted the carriage in a coachbuilder’s yard and posed models in a makeshift ‘carriage’ made from boxes and planks in his back garden in Paddington. The?Illustrated London News?said ‘the stern and trying incidents’ would be ‘recognized by thousands of weary wayfarers through the streets of London.’ The Victorian Age  In the strict sense, it began in 1837, when the 18-year-old Victoria became queen of England. 1901: the 82-year-old queen died. Victorian England: Promises and Problems of an Industrial Society The world’s wealthiest nation The most influential colonial power The first serious and large-scale attempts to solve the problems of the industrial and democratic revolutions The age: intellectual seriousness and vitality I The Historical and Political Background The Early Period (1832－1848) The Middle Period (1848—1870) The Late Period (1870－1901) A. The Early Period (1832－1848) 1832 Parliament passed the First Reform Bill, marking the emergence of the middle class as the dominant force in English politics. The early 1840s Economic depression, unemployment working-class rioting. The “Chartists”. Lower classes suffered. 1846 Repeal of the Corn Laws. A policy of Free Trade introduced. From “Song of the Shirts” by Thomas Hood With fingers weary and worn, With eyelids heavy and red, A woman sat, in unwomanly rags, Plying her needle and thread— Stitch! Stitch! Stitch! In poverty, hunger and dirt, And still with a voice of dolorous pitch She sang the “Song of the Shirt.” …… Work —work—work! My labour never flags; And what are its wages? A bed of straw, A crust of bread, and rags That shatter’d roof, and th