Victorian literature (1837-1901)

It was in the Victorian era (1837–1901) that the novel became the leading literary genre in English. Another important fact is the number of women novelists who were successful in the 19th century, even though they often had to use a masculine pseudonym. The majority of readers were of course women. At the beginning of the 19th century most novels were published in three volumes. However, monthly serialization was revived with the publication of Charles Dickens' Pickwick Papers in twenty parts between April 1836 and November 1837. Demand was high for each episode to introduce some new element, whether it was a plot twist or a new character, so as to maintain the readers' interest.

The 1830s and 1840s saw the rise of social novel, also known as social problem novel. This was in many ways a reaction to rapid industrialization and was a means of commenting on the suffering of the poor. Stories of the working class poor were directed toward middle class to help create sympathy and promote change. An early example is Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist (1837-8). Dickens wrote vividly about London life and struggles of the poor, but in a good-humoured fashion, accessible to readers of all classes. Dickens has been most admired for his later novels, such as Dombey and Son (1846-8), Great Expectations (1860-1), Bleak House (1852-3) and Little Dorrit (1855-7) and Our Mutual Friend (1864-5). An early rival to Dickens was William Makepeace Thackeray, who during the Victorian period ranked second only to him, but he is now much less read and is known almost exclusively for Vanity Fair (1847).

The Brontë sisters were other significant novelists in the 1840s and 1850s. Their novels caused a sensation. They had written from early childhood and were first published in 1846 as poets under the pseudonyms Currer, Ellis and Acton Bell. The sisters returned to prose, producing a novel each the following year: Charlotte's Jane Eyre, Emily's Wuthering Heights and Anne's Agnes Grey.

Wilkie Collins' The Moonstone (1868), is generally considered the first detective novel in the English language, while The Woman in White is regarded as one of the finest sensation novels. H. G. Wells's (1866-1946) writing career began in the 1890s with science fiction novels like The Time Machine (1895), and The War of the Worlds (1898) which describes an invasion of late Victorian England by Martians.

Genre fiction

Bram Stoker's horror story Dracula (1897), belongs to a number of literary genres, including vampire literature, horror fiction and gothic novel.

Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes is a brilliant London-based "consulting detective". Conan Doyle wrote four novels and fifty-six short stories featuring Holmes, from 1880 up to 1907, with a final case in 1914. All but four Conan Doyle stories are narrated by Holmes' friend, assistant, and biographer, Dr. Watson.

Literature for children developed as a separate genre. Some works became internationally known, such as those of Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865) and its sequel Through the Looking-Glass. Adventure novels, such as those of Robert Louis Stevenson (1850–94), are generally classified as for children. Stevenson's Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (1886), depicts the dual personality of a kind and intelligent physician. His Treasure Island 1883, is the classic pirate adventure. At the end of the Victorian era and leading into the Edwardian era, Beatrix Potter was an author and illustrator, best known for her children’s books, which featured animal characters. In her thirties, Potter published the highly successful children's book The Tale of Peter Rabbit in 1902. Potter went on to publish 23 children's books and become a wealthly woman.

Victorian poetry

The leading poets during the Victorian period were Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1809-1892), Robert Browning (1812–89), Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806–61), and Matthew Arnold (1822–88). The poetry of this period was heavily influenced by the Romantics, but also went off in its own directions. Particularly notable was the development of the dramatic monologue, a form used by many poets in this period, but perfected by Browning. Literary criticism in the 20th century gradually drew attention to the links between Victorian poetry and modernism. Tennyson was described as "the greatest master of metrics as well as melancholia", and as having "the finest ear of any English poet since Milton".

Oscar Wilde became the leading poet and dramatist of the late Victorian period. Wilde's plays, in particular, stand apart from the many now forgotten plays of Victorian times and have a much closer relationship to those of theEdwardian dramatists such as Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950), whose career began in the last decade of the nineteenth century, Wilde's 1895 comic masterpiece, The Importance of Being Earnest, holds an ironic mirror to the aristocracy and displays a mastery of wit and paradoxical wisdom.

Vocabulary

unrecognised – непризнанный

contemporaries – современники

is held in high regard – высоко оценивается

undercurrents – подводные течения

to stir – возбуждать

canto – песнь

nightmare – ночной кошмар

corps – труп

shunned – избегаемый

career was launched – карьера началась

further – в дальнейшем

hardships – трудности

inherit – наследовать

fame – слава

monthly serialization – ежемесячное издание рассказа по частям

demand – спрос

rapid – скорый

sympathy – сочувствие

to rank second – стоять на втором месте

accessible – доступный

is generally considered – повсеместно считается

sequel – продолжение

Text-based tasks (continued)

1) Produce 5 sentences of your own, using the vocabulary. Read your sentences out in Russian and ask any of your friends to translate them back into English. Check if your sentences sound the same.

2) Explain these words and expressions in English.

o idiosyncratic views

o entirely different

o supernatural

o down-to-earth characters

o a mock-heroic epic

o moral issues

o a masculine pseudonym

o a plot twist

o dual personality

3) Text-based questions.

1. Which of the Romantic poets collected Scottish folk songs?

2. Name as many Lake poets as you can remember.

3. How was Byron different from other poets of his time?

4. Who wrote “the first historical novel”?

5. When did Jane Austen become recognized by critics and audience?

6. When did the novel become the leading literary genre?

7. What author revived monthly serialization?

8. What period was marked by the rise of social novel?

9. What is Beatrix Potter famous for?

4) Put 5 more questions to the text and write them down on a separate sheet of paper. Exchange your papers with your partner and answer each other’s questions in writing.

5) Make a crosswords based on the words from the text.

6) Word-building. Create new words based on the one given in the table.

 

Noun	verb	adjective / present (past) participle
expressiveness
		sharp
	to imagine
character
	to critique
		animating
deformity
	to experiment
		chilling
	to inspire
romanticism
		leading
ending
	to use
publication
	to demand
dramatist

7) Choose one of the following extracts for retelling:

1. Old and Middle English literature, Renaissance literature and Elizabethan era

2. Jacobean literature, the Caroline, Interregnum and Restoration periods, Augustan literature

3. Romanticism

4. Victorian literature, Genre fiction and Victorian poetry

 

8) Humour. Read, understand and enjoy the humour.

 

v Dick is introduced to an author at a party. ‘My last book was terribly difficult,’ the author says. ‘It took me over six years to complete.’ ‘I can sympathise,’ replies Dick. ‘I’m a slow reader myself.’

 

v A writer sends his manuscript to a publisher with a note saying, ‘None of the characters in this story bear any resemblance to any person living or dead.’ The publisher sends back the book with a note saying, ‘That’s what’s wrong with it.’

 

v A critic is a legless man who teaches running.

 

v A man walks into a book shop and says, ‘Can I have a book by Shakespeare?’ ‘Of course, sir,’ says the salesman. ‘Which one?’ The man replies, ‘William.’

 

v A young man professed a desire to become a great writer. When asked to define ‘great’ he said, ‘I want to write stuff that the whole world will read, stuff that people will react to on a truly emotional level, stuff that will make them scream, cry, howl in pain and anger!’ He now works for Microsoft writing error messages.

PART 2.

Discussion.

1) The “why”-questions. Provocative thinking.

1. Why do we include some works by writers of different nationalities into the notion “English literature”?

2. Why are some most talented writers misunderstood by their contemporaries?

3. Why do people now tend to read less than before?

 

2) Research questions. Choose the issue that interests you most and search for more information. Prepare a report and deliver it to your classmates.

1. “The Hymn of Cædmon” – the oldest surviving English text

2. The introduction of a printing press into England

3. The history of the sonnet

4. Humour in the English literature

5. Children literature by English authors

6. Fantazy genre in the English literature

7. The most interesting contemporary English writer

 

3) Search for more information about the Old English epic poem named Beowulf

4) The theory of humours is mentioned in the text. Find out more information about it and share it with your group-mates.

5) Choose one of your favourite books (or poems) by an English writer and make a short presentation according to the following plan:

- The book title, the year when it was written and a short description of its plot

- The reason why it is special for you (why would you recommend it to your friends?)

- Some interesting facts about its author

- Are there any movies based on this book? Are they successful?

- An axtract from the book (in original) for artistic reading

- A literary translation of the chosen passage (do not forget to mention the name of the translator)

6) Look through the text again and make a list of English authors for each century, add their most important works apart from those mentioned in the text. Arrange the information chronologically in a form of the table:

Author	Life dates	Works of literature

7) Split into pairs or small groups, act out these extracts from English literature and try to recognize the author and the book title:

1.

"My dear Mr. Bennet," said his lady to him one day, "have you heard that Netherfield Park is let at last?"

Mr. Bennet replied that he had not.

"But it is," returned she; "for Mrs. Long has just been here, and she told me all about it."

Mr. Bennet made no answer.

"Do not you want to know who has taken it?" cried his wife impatiently.

"You want to tell me, and I have no objection to hearing it."

This was invitation enough.

"Why, my dear, you must know, Mrs. Long says that Netherfield is taken by a young man of large fortune from the north of England; that he came down on Monday in a chaise and four to see the place, and was so much delighted with it that he agreed with Mr. Morris immediately; that he is to take possession before Michaelmas, and some of his servants are to be in the house by the end of next week."

"What is his name?"

"Bingley."

"Is he married or single?"

"Oh! single, my dear, to be sure! A single man of large fortune; four or five thousand a year. What a fine thing for our girls!"

"How so? how can it affect them?"

"My dear Mr. Bennet," replied his wife, "how can you be so tiresome! You must know that I am thinking of his marrying one of them."

"Is that his design in settling here?"

"Design! nonsense, how can you talk so! But it is very likely that he may fall in love with one of them, and therefore you must visit him as soon as he comes."

"I see no occasion for that. You and the girls may go, or you may send them by themselves, which perhaps will be still better; for, as you are as handsome as any of them, Mr. Bingley might like you the best of the party."

2.

MRS. PEARCE This is the young woman, sir.

The flower girl enters. She has a hat with three ostrich feathers, orange, sky-blue, and red. She has a nearly clean apron, and the shoddy coat has been tidied a little.

HIGGINS Why, this is the girl I jotted down last night. She's no use: I've got all the records I want of the Lisson Grove lingo; and I'm not going to waste another cylinder on it. [To the girl] Be off with you: I don't want you.

THE FLOWER GIRL. Don't you be so saucy. You ain't heard what I come for yet. [To Mrs. Pearce, who is waiting at the door for further instruction] Did you tell him I come in a taxi?

MRS. PEARCE. Nonsense, girl! What do you think a gentleman like Mr. Higgins cares what you came in?

THE FLOWER GIRL. Oh, we are proud! He ain't above giving lessons, not him: I heard him say so. Well, I ain't come here to ask for any compliment; and if my money's not good enough I can go elsewhere.

HIGGINS. Good enough for what?

THE FLOWER GIRL. Good enough for ye--oo. Now you know, don't you? I'm come to have lessons, I am. And to pay for em too: make no mistake.

HIGGINS WELL!!! [Recovering his breath with a gasp] What do you expect me to say to you?

THE FLOWER GIRL. Well, if you was a gentleman, you might ask me to sit down, I think. Don't I tell you I'm bringing you business?

HIGGINS. Pickering: shall we ask this baggage to sit down or shall we throw her out of the window?

THE FLOWER GIRL [running away in terror to the piano, where she turns] Ah--ah--ah--ow--ow--ow--oo! I won't be called a baggage when I've offered to pay like any lady.

 

3.

They started with breaking a cup. That was the first thing they did. They did that just to show you what they could do, and to get you interested. Then Harris packed the strawberry jam on top of a tomato and squashed it, and they had to pick out the tomato with a teaspoon.

And then it was George's turn, and he trod on the butter. I didn't say anything, but I came over and sat on the edge of the table and watched them. It irritated them more than anything I could have said. I felt that. It made them nervous and excited, and they stepped on things, and put things behind them, and then couldn't find them when they wanted them; and they packed the pies at the bottom, and put heavy things on top, and smashed the pies in.

They upset salt over everything, and as for the butter! I never saw two men do more with one-and-twopence worth of butter in my whole life than they did. After George had got it off his slipper, they tried to put it in the kettle. It wouldn't go in, and what was in wouldn't come out. They did scrape it out at last, and put it down on a chair, and Harris sat on it, and it stuck to him, and they went looking for it all over the room.

"I'll take my oath I put it down on that chair," said George, staring at the empty seat.

"I saw you do it myself, not a minute ago," said Harris.

Then they started round the room again looking for it; and then they met again in the centre, and stared at one another.

"Most extraordinary thing I ever heard of," said George.

"So mysterious!" said Harris.

Then George got round at the back of Harris and saw it.

"Why, here it is all the time," he exclaimed, indignantly.

"Where?" cried Harris, spinning round.

"Stand still, can't you!" roared George, flying after him.

And they got it off, and packed it in the teapot.

4.

Jack. Charming day it has been, Miss Fairfax.

Gwendolen. Pray don’t talk to me about the weather, Mr. Worthing. Whenever people talk to me about the weather, I always feel quite certain that they mean something else. And that makes me so nervous.

Jack. I do mean something else.

Gwendolen. I thought so. In fact, I am never wrong.

Jack. And I would like to be allowed to take advantage of Lady Bracknell’s temporary absence…

Gwendolen. I would certainly advise you to do so. Mamma has a way of coming back suddenly into a room that I have often had to speak to her about.

Jack. [Nervously.] Miss Fairfax, ever since I met you I have admired you more than any girl… I have ever met since… I met you.

Gwendolen. Yes, I am quite well aware of the fact. And I often wish that in public, at any rate, you had been more demonstrative. For me you have always had an irresistible fascination. Even before I met you I was far from indifferent to you. [Jack looks at her in amazement.] We live, as I hope you know, Mr Worthing, in an age of ideals. The fact is constantly mentioned in the more expensive monthly magazines, and has reached the provincial pulpits, I am told; and my ideal has always been to love some one of the name of Ernest. There is something in that name that inspires absolute confidence. The moment Algernon first mentioned to me that he had a friend called Ernest, I knew I was destined to love you.

Jack. You really love me, Gwendolen?

Gwendolen. Passionately!

Jack. Darling! You don’t know how happy you’ve made me.

Gwendolen. My own Ernest!

 

8) Make a creative literary translation of the following piece into beautiful Russian