Characteristics And Features of the Novel in the Victorian Era

Following the romantic revival, Victorian literature (1837– 1901, named after Queen Victoria's
reign) entered a new era. Due to the quick and comprehensive growth of the British Empire,
Britain became the wealthiest nation on the planet during this time. Furthermore, the Victorians
made the first serious attempts to address the massive social problems created by the Romantic
period's industrial and democratic revolutions (Zine, 1).

This period's literature reflected a mix of pure romance and brutal realism. Though the Victorian
era created great poets, it is equally remembered for its exceptional writing. Science's findings
have a unique impact on the literature of the time. If we look at all of the good authors from this
time period, we'll see four common traits. This era's writing has a tendency to mirror the
practical challenges and concerns of everyday life. It develops into a strong tool for human
advancement. Industrialization was on the rise economically and socially, as were many reform
movements such as liberation, child labor, women's rights, and evolution. Victorian literature
appears to diverge from "art for the sake of art" and asserts its moral purpose. Tennyson,
Browning, Carlyle, and Ruskin were all English teachers who believed in the power of their
social lesson to educate the world. Idealism is frequently regarded as a period of skepticism and
melancholy. The impact of science can be felt here. The entire period appears to be engrossed in
the idea of evolution in regard to man's place in the universe. Despite the fact that the era is
known for being practical and materialistic, the majority of the authors exalt a perfect ideal life.
It is an idealistic age, with poets, essayists, and novelists emphasizing noble ideas such as truth,
justice, love, and brotherhood (McIlvain, 2).

The time era. The majority of the writings dealt with current social issues. Among the significant
concerns of the time were the effects of the industrial revolution, the influence of evolutionary
theory, and political and social reform movements. Thomas Love Peacock, Charles Dickens,
William Barnes, and Benjamin Disraeli are among the most famous British authors of the time (
Cudden, 760).

Victorian novels are romanticized depictions of challenging lives in which hard effort, patience,
love, and luck ultimately triumph; goodness is rewarded, and wrongdoers are appropriately
punished. They tended to be optimistic, with a strong moral lesson at their soul. While much of
early Victorian fiction was based on this model, the issue became increasingly complicated as
the century advanced. Victorian literature refers to works written during Queen Victoria's reign
(1837–1901) and is associated with the Victorian era. It serves as a bridge between the romantic
era's writers and the vastly different literature of the twentieth century. The novel became the
most popular form of literature in English during the nineteenth century. Pre-Victorian writers
such as Jane Austen and Walter Scott had refined both social criticism and adventure fiction in
their writings. Famous works helped to establish a market for the novel among readers. In
Britain, as well as other countries such as France, the United States, and Russia, the nineteenth
century is often recognized as a high point in writing (McIlvain, 2).

Books in general, and novels in particular, became widespread, and the "Victorian novelist"
generated enduring works. The Bronte sisters (Emily, Anne, and Charlotte Bronte), Christina
Rossetti, Robert Browning, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Joseph Conrad, Edward Bulwer-Lytton,
Wilkie Collins, Charles Dickens, Benjamin Disraeli, George Eliot, George Meredith, Elizabeth
Gaskell, George Gissing, Richard Jefferies, Thomas Hardy, A. E. Housman, Rudyard Kipling,
Robert Louis Stevenson, Bram Stoker, Alger (McIlvain, 2-3).

In fact, the Victorian era was the golden age of the English novel, with tendencies like decadence
and symbolism gaining popularity in the latter half of the century. Victorian novelists were the
mouthpieces of their day. They were in the public eye, exposing the social situation as it was.
This isn't to say they weren't critical; rather, their critiques were more moderate than those of
modern European novels (Allen, 140-1).

They represent the conflicts and paradoxes of their day, such as the industrial revolution's
devastation and the presence of hunger. Children's social situations are vividly depicted by
novelists. Dickens' works deal with the inequitable treatment of children in his era. They were
exploited by the wealthy and skilled craftsmen. In most Victorian novels, the concept of
respectability was important. Jane Austen's works are excellent examples (Ibid., 142).

In numerous Victorian novels, the poor educational system is depicted. Jane Eyre by Charlotte
Bronte and Hard Times by Charles Dickens are two examples of this theme. There is a wide
range of settings to choose from. The locations range from stunning landscapes to the filthy
streets of industrial centers like London. Themes in Victorian literature include social issues,
child maltreatment, and a harsh and inhumane educational system. The English language is rich
and elegant (Wilson: 236). It captured the spirit of the time. Honorable persons spoke with
respectable tones. Those were the folks for whom Victorian novelists wrote.

Carl, Charles Darwin, and Sigmund Freud's views sparked heated debates in England and had a
significant impact on the novel. Like symbolism, the advent of motions had an impact on the
narrative. The term symbolism refers to "the use of symbols, or a group of connected symbols,"
but it is also the name given to a significant movement in the late nineteenth and early twentieth
centuries. (Baldick, 252). Symbols, on the other hand, are objects, letters, figures, and colors that
are used to symbolize abstract notions and ideas.

Dickens is the most well-known Victorian novelist, with works such as David Copperfield, The
Pickwick Papers, Great Expectations, and Oliver Twist commenting on societal issues,
particularly the condition of the poor and oppressed working class. Thackeray's Vanity Fair is a
work by William Make that both depicts and criticizes middle-class life Among the most well-
known female novelists are the Bronte sisters (Emily, Charlotte, and Anne Bronte) and George
Eliot. The novels of Thomas Hardy, such as Tess of the d'Urbervilles, Far from the Madding
Crowd, Jude the Obscure, and The Mayor of Caster Bridge, study the social constraints on the
lives of those living in Victorian England, and criticize those beliefs, particularly those relating
to marriage, education, and religion, that limited people's lives and caused sadness (Megirk,6).

In this period's novels, the spirit of rebellion is more stronger than in poetry. Charles Dickens
and Thomas Hardy are two of the most well-known novelists of the day. Dickens is regarded as
the greatest novelist of all time. He conducts a meticulous examination of the entire human race.
He paints an intriguing picture of human society. "David Copperfield" by Charles Dickens is a
typical work in that it illuminates the prevalent conditions of Victorian society. It's a social
document that exposes the terrible state of boarding houses, women's education, child labor, and
social inequality. Dickens is a social thinker who follows in the footsteps of a reformer. Tess of
the d'Urbervilles is Hardy's greatest novel. With the subtitle "a pure woman," Thomas Hardy
released this work in 1891. Alec D'Urbervilles raped Tess of the d'Urbervilles when she was a
little girl. She becomes pregnant, but the baby is stillborn. It begs the question of how such a
woman can be termed pure. Hardy, on the other hand, proves it. She falls in love with Angel
Clare later on, but he abandons her. Angel would not return, Alec tells her. Her family goes
hungry, and she becomes Alec's mistress. But Angel reappears, and Tess murders Alec and
spends a few minutes in love with Angel before being apprehended and sentenced to death
(Horsman, 3).

Climate is commonly mentioned as if it were equivalent with 'location' in Victorian novels.

When you take into account the range and quality of Victorian novelists—Charles Dickens'
humor, pathos, and fantastical worlds, George Eliot's psychological depth, Emily Bronte and her
sister Charlotte Bronte's dark passion—hard it's to start believing that novels was largely
considered to be light entertainment rather than serious literature at the time they wrote. To be
honest, the great majority of published novels were not magnificent works like David
Copperfield or Middlemarch. The same mass production that poured cheap thrillers and maudlin,
weepy tales known as "penny dreadfuls" and "shilling shockers" into Victorian homes also
poured out cheap thrillers and maudlin, weepy tales known as "penny dreadfuls" and "shilling
shockers," which the working classes in particular devoured. Readers in the middle class
appreciated a good cry as well, but they needed more (Dover, 920).

They wanted to meet individuals and personalities who were similar to themselves, and they
wanted to understand more about their rapidly changing world. To put it another way, they
desired realism. Realistic novels attempted to depict everyday life as it was lived in the actual
world. Realism concentrated on the effects of the Industrial Revolution on Great Britain, rather
than dismissing science and industry as romanticism did. Realistic authors, keen-eyed and quick-
witted, examined every nook and cranny of their society, from the drawing room to the slum,
exposing flaws and pretensions. Some people actively advocated for reform. Others were more
reserved, seeing their duty as "the raising of the nobler sentiments, which make people seek the
social right, rather than the prescribing of precise methods," as George Eliot described it (Dover,
920).
Victorian novels were weighty affairs, basically weighty, in fact, that they were frequently split
into three volumes, forming a three-decker novel. Thankfully, readers had the time and attention
spans to enjoy these intricately crafted imaginary worlds, complete with complicated stories and
a leisurely narrative pace. Families would often spend the evenings reading aloud to one another,
laughing at the adventures of Charles Dickens' Mr. Pickwick and his quirky associates or
lamenting the failed romance of Heathcliff and Catherine in Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Height.
(Dover, 921).

Many novels were first released in serial form in magazines and newspapers, which meant that
readers had to wait up to two years to find out how a story finished. Dickens was an expert in
this genre. Every new part of his 1841 novel The Old Curiosity Shop drew hordes of followers
from all around the world, especially as the adored character Little Nell approached her tragic
death (Dover, 921).

The main protagonists of the novel were the same people who read it, so they felt heavily
engaged in the journey tried to tell; the author and his audiences shared the same viewpoints,
values, and ideals because they belonged to the same middle class; and the setting was primarily
that of the same city where readers lived. The story served as a kind of mirror, reflecting society
and allowing readers to identify with themselves. In this sense, most of the books of these years
were primarily concerned with "didacticism." As a result, the narrator is omniscient: he
distinguishes between good and evil characters, judges persons and deeds, and concludes the
stories with a smart distribution of "punishment" for the bad characters and "retribution" for the
good. The narratives of the novels were typically very extensive and convoluted with numerous
sub-plots: the author also sought to convey a strong sense of realism, so he included not only the
major characters' experiences, but also those of the secondary characters (Bartleby, 2021).

The following are characteristics of a Victorian novel: 1) The omniscient narrator made a
statement about the plot and established a firm line between right and bad (didactic aim) 2) The
city is the setting (symbol of industrial civilization, anonymous lives and lost identity) 3) The
plot is long and intricate. 4) Character development and in-depth examination of their life 5) In
the final chapter, retribution or punishment (Bartleby, 2021).
The Victorian Era is viewed as the link between eighteenth Romanticism and 20th-century
realism. The book arose as a genre to entertain the growing middle class and to reflect modern
life in a changing society. Despite the fact that the novel had been evolving since the 18th
century, with works by Daniel Defoe, Henry Fielding, Laurence Sterne, Samuel Richardson, and
others, it was during this time that it gained widespread recognition and reading. The novel's
expansion as a form was aided by the growth of cities, a ready local market as well as one in the
overseas colonies, and an increase in printing and publishing houses. An Education Act was
passed in 1870, making education more accessible to the general public and raising literacy rates
among the population. Simple novels suited to this by becoming a device to practice reading for
various vocations that required a certain level of reading proficiency. Reading, which has now
become a leisure pastime, might also be used to fill time on the daily commute to work for men
and time alone at home for women. As a result of the latter, the demand for fiction increased
significantly (UKEssays, 2018).

The novels of the time tended to have a moral tone to them, with a confidence in human nature's
inherent goodness. The protagonists were well-rounded, and they usually came from a middle-
class family struggling to carve out a place for themselves in the industrial and mercantile
worlds. The emphasis was on realism and an attempt to explain the everyday hardships of
ordinary people in a way that a middle-class reader might understand. The ethical tangents were
likely an attempt to rescue the society's moral decay at the time, and they provided hope and
positivity to the audience. The incorporation of bigger arguments in fiction, such as those around
"the woman question," marriage, progress, education, and the Industrial Revolution, was made
possible by these moral aspects. Because of the resulting economic market, new positions for
women were formed, and their voice, which had previously gone unheard, was now being heard,
and novels became vehicles for challenging women's domestic confinement. Novels that address
wider issues concerning women, such as their roles and responsibilities. Married Women's
Property Acts were passed in the latter half of the century, women's suffrage became a hot topic
of debate, and poverty and other economic factors undermined women's conventional duties. The
novel, as a form, became the vehicle through which such issues were raised (UKEssays, 2018).

In addition, the writer might easily change the plot based on its success or failure. The novel,
which became the most popular form of literature and the primary source of entertainment for
the Victorians, aroused their attention. The exploits of a social outcast or a more moral
protagonist were common in novels during the 18th century, but the framework of the novel
remained the same. Jane Austen's theme of a girl's choice of a husband, as well as Gothic writers
who set their books in the distant past, introduced the idea of a thematic unity. Fiction writers
aimed to capture the long-term social transformations that had been taking place. With the
exception of attitudes that offend present standards, novelists throughout the first half of the
Victorian period described society as they saw it. Nevertheless, because the historical conditions
in Britain were different from those in France or Russia, their criticism was far less radical than
that of contemporary European writers such as Balzac, Flaubert, and Dostoevsky. The
omniscient narrator's voice created an impenetrable barrier between 'good' and 'bad' action. The
novel's last chapter, when the succession of events, experiences, and incidents had to be
explained and justified, contained retribution and punishment. The city, which was the principal
symbol of industrial civilization, was the setting chosen by most Victorian novelists. In terms of
comedy, Dickens' figures, and dramatic passion, the Bronte sisters' heroines, Victorian writers
focused on creating realistic characters that the public could easily relate with. Different types of
novels can be found in the Victorian Novel (Rose, 2000).

After the release of Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre, the novel of formation became immensely
popular. These books followed the growth of a single character from childhood to adulthood.
Literary nonsense: Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland is the most renowned nonsense novel.
She developed a nonsensical environment in which social laws and conventions are shattered and
there is no cause-and-effect relationship. Women such as Charlotte and Emily Bront, as well as
George Eliot, wrote a large number of novels in the mid-Victorian period. Women made up the
majority of the audience. In fact, middle-class women had more leisure at home and could read
for part of the day. It was difficult to get published, though, and some women used a male
pseudonym (Rose, 2000).

During the Victorian era, the novel became the most important literary form. Charles Dickens
(1812-70) was a notable literary personality throughout the Victorian era, and his writings have
remained popular to this day. Dickens modifies the theme of the novel in many of his works,
focusing on the social problems of his period (Miller, 1965). The hardships of both children and
the working class are key topics in Dickens' novels. One of his best-known novels, David
Copperfield (1850), is on these events. The novel's protagonist, David Copperfield, is a Victorian
child who has the ability to release his dreams. The novel explores a portion of Dickens' boyhood
as well as his achievements. Another notable novel by Charles Dickens is Great Expectations
(1861) (Shelston, 1993).

It's an autobiographical story with a sad conclusion. Philip, the main character in the story
written by the author, has a lot of hopes that he can't realize. Philip does not have the same high
aspirations as David. Dickens' writings in the 1850s were characterized by a feeling of irony in
the majority of them (Carter and McRae, 1996). Hard Times is frequently viewed as a Victorian-
era work. Dickens tries to attack the values of industrial Victorian society in this work. Dickens'
latest writings deal with the plight of London society (Miller, 1967). Several other Victorian
authors continued to write on societal issues. Carlyle, for example, notably criticized the
'Laissez-faire' doctrine in his novels The French Revolution (1837) and Past and Present (1843)
(Carter and McRae, 1996).

The three Bronte sisters, Charlotte, Emily, and Anne, were able to alter the manner the female
character is introduced in the work (Coote, 1993). As a result, many Victorian literary works
mirrored this state of inconsistency. Thomas Hardy (1840-1928) is regarded as one of the most
distinguished authors of the late nineteenth century who wrote on the issues of Victorians. Hardy
explores the struggle between traditional and modern values in many of his writings (ibid.).