1. Introduction
2. Historical, Cultural and Intellectual Context
2.1 Arts and Culture
2.2 Philosophy and Religion
2.3. Politics and Economics
2.4. Developments in Science and Technology
3. Literature in the Victorian Period
3.1 Poetry
3.2 Fiction
3.3 Drama
3.4 Non-Fictional Prose
3.5 Literary Movements
4. Critical Approaches
4.1 Historical Overview
4.2 Current Issues and Debates
5. Resources for Independent Study
5.1 Chronology of Key Historical and Cultural Events
5.2 Glossary of Key Literary Terms and Concepts
5.3 Further Reading and Resources
Index
A clear, concise and manageable overview of Victorian literature, society and culture
Maureen Moran is Professor of English Literature at Brunel University, London, UK.
'...On the one hand there is an unshakeable belief in progress and
Britain's supremacy based on notions of Christian predestination,
on the other a critical analysis of the nation's conflicts,
shortcomings, and its failure to remove social inequality... I
found her [the author's] explanation of the Pre-Raphaelite
Brotherhood, and the Aesthetic and Decadent movements very helpful
- because I have never quite understood what held together these
movements comprising both writers and painters... So - if you are
doing A level literature, studying as an undergraduate, or a
general reader who wants to know more about nineteenth
century English Literature, this will point you in the
right direction...' Roy Johnson, 2007, Mantex.co.uk
'..indispensable not only "to orientate students as they begin a
new module or area of study" (as stated on the back cover), but to
guide teachers in preparing a Victorian Studies course.'
'Victorianists should be grateful to [Moran] for bringing her
expertise to bear on this important guidebook, one that surveys
concisely and authoritatively what she calls 'a society both
confident and self-critical.' '...Moran has condensed the mindset,
upheavals, and accomplishments of Victorian England into a readable
and insightful handbook...' English Literature in Transition
1880-1920, vol. 51 No. 1, 2008, pp. 109-112 (by Michel W. Pharand,
Queen's University, Canada)
'Moran's style is lucid and engaging...[she] surveys a
substantial range of Victorian newspapers and periodicals—essential
background information for those new to the period—adumbrating
their various flavours and preoccupations. Victorian Literature and
Culture is an inviting study of the period—eloquent and compact, it
provides a tantalizing initiation to those entering or returning to
the field.' Mandy Swann, University of New South Wales, Australian
Journal of Victorian Studies, 12.1.
"As part of the 'Introduction to British Literature and Culture'
series published by Continuum, Victorian Literature and Culture
succeeds in its aim to provide a succinct orientation into the
cultural, literary and critical aspects of the Victorian period, it
also flags the challenges faced by a series like this, where the
need to present a synopsis can conflict with the desire to map
complex issues...Ultimately, Victorian Literature and Culture is an
inviting study of the period-eloquent and compact, it provides a
tantalizing initiation to those entering or reentering the field."
-Mandy Swann, University of New South Wales, Australasian Journal
of Victorian Studies
*Mandy Swann*
"Maureen Moran has condensed the mindset, upheavals, and
accomplishments of Victorian England into a readable and insightful
handbook, beginning with the intellectual context of an era rife
with contradictions...Victorian Literature and Culture, a sweeping
panorama of works, movements, and ideologies, should be vade mecum
of anyone wishing to contextualize the era's literature within a
framework of values, beliefs, and trends. Maureen Moran,
Professor of English Literature at Brunel University, London, is a
specialist in Victorian aesthetic, cultural, and critical
theory. Victorianists should be grateful to her for bringing
her expertise to bear on this important guidebook, one that surveys
concisely and authoritatively what she calls 'a society both
confident and self-critical.'" -Michel W. Pharand, English
Literature in Transition 1880-1920, 2008
*Michel W. Pharand*
'[this] series offers both the student reader and teacher exciting
and invaluable interventions in and reorientations around questions
of history, culture, and period ... With brio, verve, and an
admirable brevity, the series grounds our understanding of
literature and culture in thought-provoking and highly original
ways. ... an indispensible series that will set the benchmark for
all such surveys and overviews.' - Julian Wolfreys, Professor of
Victorian Literary and Cultural Studies at the University of
Florida.
*Blurb from reviewer*
'Concept looks good ... I like the idea... they should do very
well'
*Blurb from reviewer*
'this is a book which we would like our first years to have read -
a guide which gives the information without which a student would
be entirely at sea.' - Professor Lisa Hopkins, Sheffield Hallam
University (from proposal)'
*Blurb from reviewer*
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