The Development of Prose in Victorian Age

The Development of Prose in Victorian Age

Introduction:

                   Victorian age follows Romantic age. It begins from 1833 and ends in 1900. This ‘age’ is one of the most glorious epochs in the history of England. It was an age of material affluence, political awakening democratic reforms, industrial and mechanicals progress, scientific, advancement, social unrest, education expansion, imperialism and empire building, humanitarianism, idealism, and all pervasive intensity of life. The Victorian scene unfolds a rich panorama of life in all its wide and varied branches – social, political, economic and literacy. It is one of the special features of the age that while it evoked feelings of warm appreciation and commendation in the hearts of many of its admirers it equally well roused the feelings of resentment and condemnation in others.

 The Victorian age is essentially the age of prose and novel. The novelists were freer because their aims were more limited and allowed a pragmatic approach.

Major Novelists:-

Charles Dickens:-

 Charles Dickens was born in Portsmouth, England, on February 7, 1812, to John and Elizabeth Dickens. He was the second of eight children. His mother had been in service to Lord Crew, and his father worked as a clerk for the Naval Pay office. John Dickens was imprisoned for debt when Charles was young. Charles Dickens went to work at a blacking warehouse, managed by a relative of his mother, when he was twelve, and his brush with hard times and poverty affected him deeply. He later recounted these experiences in the semi-autobiographical novel David Copperfield. Similarly, the concern for social justice and reform which surfaced later in his writings grew out of the harsh conditions he experienced in the warehouse.

Ø       Sketches by B02 (1836)

Ø        The Pickwick paper (1836)

Ø  Oliver twist (1937)

Ø      Nicholas Nichleby (1938)

Ø     The old curiosity shop (1840)

Ø     American Notes (1842)

Ø     Martin Clausewitz (1843)

Ø     Donbey and son (1846)

Ø     Bleak House (1852)

Ø  Hard Times (1854)

Ø     A tale of two cities (1959)

Ø     Great Expectation (1960)

Ø  Our mutual friend (1964)

          His last, novel ‘The mystery of Edwin drood’ remained incomplete and his died.

          His novels were very popular. At the age of twenty six he was a popular author. The demands of this novel were very high and this led to lastly work which could not be considered properly his all books were rich and enduring. His all books were rich and enduring. His power of imagination was beyond comparison. Not even a single English novelist excelled him in the multiplicity of his characters and situations. His humour is broad, Humane, and creative. He could describe horrible, as the death of bill Sykes, he could be painfully dramatic as in the characters of Rosa Dartle and Madame defrags. His characters are created in the ‘flat’. His style is clear, rapid and resembles the style of journalists.

“A decidedly indelicate young gentlemen, in pair of wings and nothing else, was depicted as superintending the cooking, a representation of the spire of the church in longhand place, London, appeared in the distance, and the whole formed a “valentine”, of which as a written inscription in the window testified, these was a large assortment within, which the shopkeeper pledged himself to dispose of, to his countrymen, generally, at the reduce rate of one and sixpence each.”

- The Pickwick papers.

William Makepeace Thackeray: (1811-63):

 William Makepeace Thackeray was born on 18th July 1811 in Calcutta, India. His father was Secretary of the Board of Revenue of the East India Company, and he was an only child. At the age of 5 he was taken to England after the death of his father and his school-years were not happy ones.

He went to Trinity College, Cambridge, where he made a lot of friends, but left without a degree. He visited Paris a lot and built up large gambling debts. On coming of age (21) he inherited a good fortune which made him independent and able to pay off his debts. But, unfortunately, a few years later the bank holding his money failed, and he was left penniless and needed to earn a living.

 He married Isabella Gethin Shawe in 1836. They had 3 daughters born, but one died when only 8 months old. Sadly, after 1840 the mental health of Isabella began to deteriorate and she eventually had to be put into full-time care. This meant that in fact he had no wife but he could not re-marry. He formed a few attachments to other women, but the exact nature of these is not known with any certainty.

 He had some natural ability as an artist, and attended art schools in London and Paris, but it was his writing that proved to be the only thing from which he could make a living. Progress in the literary world was not easy. It was only in about the last 10 years of his life that his financial life could be described as comfortable. Unfortunately he did not enjoy the best of health and suffered some very serious illnesses.

 He died on 23rd December 1863 in London, aged 53.Most of his work was originally published in serial form (as with Dickens) and gathered into a book-form a year or so later.

Some of his better-known works are:

1848   Vanity Fair
1849   The History of Pendennis
1852   The Memoirs of Barry Lyndon
1852   The History of Henry Esmond
1854   The Newcombes
1855   The Rose and the Ring
1858   The Virginians

          When Dickens’s was enjoying his success Thackeray was struggling through neglect and contempt to rendition. He got success slowly. Once he had gained the favour of the public he held it and among outstanding English novelists there is none whose claim is so little subject to challenge.

          “Since the author of Tom Tones was buried” says Thackeray in his preface to pandemic, “No writer of fiction among us has been permitted to depict to his almost power a ‘man’. We must drape him and give him a certain conventional simpler.” His certain conventional simpler. “His creations are rounded, entire, and quite alive and convincing. He depicted truth with the help of satire. In pathos he is sentimental. He style is effortless and of extraordinary degree.”

“Her eyes beamed out on him with affection indescribable, “Welcome”, was all she said as she looked up, putting back her fair curls and black hood. A sweet rosy smile blushed on her face: Harry thought he had never seen her look so charming. Her face was lighted with a joy that was brighter than beauty – She did not quit Edmond’s arm.”

                                                                             - Henry Esmond

3.      The Bronte:

          

          Charlotte (1816-1855) family (1818-1848) and Anne (1820 – 1849) were from Yorkshire. The three sisters wrote for fun and they published look take different name and not original ones. Female writing was not given much importance in their time.

Charlotte Bronte:

          She work had truth and intensity. Her plots were limited upto her experiences. She brought energy and passion which seemed wonderful and romantic. Her novels are

1.    The Professor

2.    Jane ryre (1847)

3.    Shirley (1949)

4.    Villette (1853)

Emily Bronte:

 She wrote less than charlotte. Her one novel “Wuthering Heights” (1847) is unique in English literature. It depicts the passions of moor. She also wrote few poems. Her finest poems are –

1)   No coward soul is mine

2)   Cold in the earth, and the deep snow piled above three.

Anne Bronte:

She wrote two novels …

Ø Agnes grey (1847)

Ø The Tenants of Wild fell Hall (1848)

 Compared to charlotte and Emily she lacked power and intercity in her work they were pioneers in the field of romantic fiction in their concern with the human soul they were to be followed by George Eliot and Meredith. The following passage shows the quality of Emily Bronte’s work.

“My Great miseries in this world have been healthchieff’s miseries and I watched and fell each from the beginning. My great though out in living is she? If all else perished, and he remained, I should still continue tube; and if all else remained and he were annihilated, the universe would turn to a mighty stranger; I should not seem a part of it my love for linden is line the foliage in the woods; time will change it, I’m well aware, as winter changes the trees.’’

(4)     George Eliot:

 Many an Evans was the real name of George Eliot. She was born near Nuneaton. She became a member of a literacy circle. In later life she travelled extensively and married (1880) J.W. Cross and died at Chelsea in the same year.

          George Eliot discovered her own was of writing fiction in the middle years of her life. She wrote:

Ø Adam Bade (1959):

Ø The mill of the floss

Ø Silas Marner – The weaver of Raveloe (1861)

Ø Romola (1863)

Ø Felix Holt the Radical (1866):

Ø Middle march, a study of provincial life (1871-72)

Ø Daniel Dernda (1876)

          There is relatively few striking incidents in her novels, but her plots are skilfully managed. Her characters are usually drawn from the lower classes of society and her studies of the English countryman show great understanding and insight. She displays light humor. There are irony and moral earnest an in her novels. Her style is lucid & simple. Her speeches are ordinary and natural. Nature is present in the form of countryside description. Her novels deal with social, personal and psychological problems of ordinary people.

“She wakes to a new condition. She felt as if her soul had been liberated from its terrible conflict, she was no longer wresting with her grief, but could now sit down with it as a lasting companion with her grief, but could now sit down with it as a lasting companion and make it a share in her thoughts for now the thoughts came quickly.”

- Middlemarch

(5)     George Meredith: (1828 – 1909)

          

          He was born at Portsmouth. He was a reader to a London publishing huge but slowly he was able to get the way for his own bolos. He died at his home at box hill, survey.

Poetry:

      I.            Poems (1851) :

   II.            Poems and lyrics of the joy of the joy of earth (1883)

III.            Ballads and poems of tragic life. (1887)

IV.            A reading of earth (1988)

  V.            A reading of life, with other poems (1901).

Novels:

1.     The ordeal of Richard Fevered (1859)

2.     Evan Harrington (1861) – Emilia in England (1864)

3.     Rhoda Fleming (1865)

4.     Vittaria (1867)

5.     The adventures of Harry Richmend (1871)

6.     The egoist (1879)

7.     The tragic comedians (1880)

8.     Diana of the Crossways (1885)

9.     The Amazing marriage (1895)

          His language and style both are praised. His female character where given same importance as males. His style is fully matured. His novels are deep solid. His characters are amazing and accurately woven. For example –

“She had the mouth that smile in repose. The lips met full on the centre of the bow and trimmed along to a lifting dimple, the eyelids also lifted slightly at the outer corners and seemed, like the lip into the limpid cheek, quickening up the temples, as with a run of light, or the ascension indicated off a shoot of colour.”

- The Egoist.

Other Novelists:

Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881):

He was born in London. He gained seat in parliament. He wrote:

Ø Vivan grey (1926-27) :-

Ø The Vajage of caption Popanilla.

Ø A psychology autobiography (1932) –

Ø New generation (1844)

Ø The new monthly (1929-30)

Ø The wondrous tale of Alroy and the rise of Iskander (1833)

          His work dealt with fashionable society, His passages are full of decorum. In style the prose is inflated, but the later novels sometimes have flashes of real passion and insight.

Edward Bulwer – Lytton (1803 – 73)

 He had a long and successful career of a literacy man as well as a politician. He wrote –

Ø  Kalkand (1827) :

Ø  Paul Clifford (1830)

Ø The last days of Pompeii (1834)

Ø  Roman Tribunes (1835)

Ø My Novel (1853)

Ø  A strange Story (1862)

Ø  Money (1840)

          His books are full of the pictures of current society. The can be said to be immature in their affection of wit and cynicism.

3.      Charles Reade: (1814-1884):

          He was born in Oxfordshire. He was a successful man of letters. He died at shepherd’s Bush. He began with plays. His works are as under –

Ø Marks and faces (1852).

Ø Christie Johnstene (1853)

Ø The cloister and the Hearter (1861)

Ø Hard Cash (1863)

Ø Griffith Gaunt or Jealousy (1866)

Ø Foul Play (1868)

          He has the dramatics’ sense and gives striking scenes. Sometimes he becomes melodramatic while hi character lacks depth. He gives historical details in his work.

4.      Willkie Collins:

          He is the successful followers of dickens. He was versatile. He specialized in the mysterious novel. Supernatural elements are present in his work. He wrote more than twenty five novels.

ü  The dead secret (1857) :

ü  The woman in white (1860)

ü  No name (1862)

ü  The moonstone (1868)

 There are many major writers of this age apart from the discussed ones. I have tried to include important Victorian writers.

“With all its immense production the age produced supreme writer. It revealed no Shakespeare, no Shelly, nor a Byron as a Scott. The general literal level was, however, very high, and it was an age, moreover of spacious intellectual horizons noble Endeavour, and bright aspirations.”

- A history of English Literature by B.G. Albert.