Society and Thought in the Victorian Age

 
The Victorian age (1837-1901) is one of the most remarkable periods in the history of England. It was an era of material affluence, political consciousness, democratic reforms, industrial and mechanical progress, scientific advancement, social unrest, educational expansion, empire building and religious uncertainty.


The social history that is reflected from the literature of the period reveals two things that distinctly stand out- 1.The steady progress of democratic ideals and 2. the progress of scientific thoughts. The passing of the Reform Acts set at rest the political disturbances that came in the wake of the French Revolution. It satisfied the demands of the lower middle classes who yearned for peace and stability. Rules of conduct and religious beliefs had been rudely shaken in the storm in the storm of the Revolution. The unbridled laxity in morals during the reigns of the Georges called for a large measure of self-control. Thus, with the advance of democracy and the rise into power by the middle class, the need for an accepted standard of stricter morality was felt and was imposed by common consent.

Not that the acceptance of a single body of doctrine distinguished the age but this spirit of acceptance, the innate desire to affirm and conform rather than to question and reject - marked the intellectual temper of the age. This was the Victorian attitude of Compromise. Professor Ward writes- "A further characteristic of the Victorian age was a firm belief in the permanence of 19th century institution, both temporal and spiritual. The Home, the Constitution, the Empire, the Christian religion each in its own form and degree was taken as a final revelation."

In the course of the victorian era, there developed among the increasingly large number of literary intellectuals,a humanist attitude to life which was not a matter of creed and dogmas, but a recognition of the love and loyalty that the better-sensed people had for their unfortunate brethren. In the works of Dickens, Mrs Gaskell, Carlyle and Ruskin, we notice the crusading zeal of the literary artists to bring about salutary reforms in the social, political and economic life of the country.

The growing importance of the masses and the large number of factory hands gave a spurt to the Reform Bills, which heralded the birth of democratic consciousness among the Victorian people. England also witnessed expansion in the field of education. The passing of the Education Acts was a landmark in the history of education in the country. A large reading public was prepared to welcome the outpourings of novelists, poets and social reformers. The press also came into its own and became a potent force in awakening political consciousness among the people of this age.

It is important to mention the number of thinkers who were well satisfied with the Victorian progress but there were some who adversely criticised the values held dear by the society. While Macaulay trumpeted the progress that the Victorians had made, Ruskin, Carlyle and Arnold raised frowns of disfavor against the soul-killing materialism of the age. Carlyle believed that there is found 'deep seated spiritual vulgarity that lies at the heart of our civilization'. Symons detected in the Victorian period, elements of 'world fatigue' which were quite alien to the Elizabethan age.

Whatever may be the defects of the Victorian way of life, it cannot be denied that it was in many ways a glorious epoch in the history of England.