19th Century

It is well known how popular nineteenth century Literature was in its days. It was
overwhelmingly liked and became very important during the Victorian Era and years to
come. Many varieties and styles of writing flourished among the authors of this period.
In the early part of the century, at times, ladies had been discouraged from reading
and it was often condemned for them to do so. But by the mid 1800's Mark Twain, Walt
Whitman, Thoreau, Emily Dickenson, Edgar Allen Poe, Longfellow, Melville, Washington
Irving, Charles Dickens, Thackeray, Collins, Victor Hugo, and Charlotte Bronte had
become popular reading material and everyone was reading them.

English and American Literature

The development of the nineteenth century novel
by Martin Ade-Onojobi-Bennett

The Victorian novel reflected the pressing social problems and philosophies of a
complex age, which was prevailingly one of social restraints and taboos,
relatively reminiscent of the Puritan period and authors were in the main
didactic, moral and purposeful. One of the most important differences between
the novelists of the first half of the century and those of the second was that to
a significant extent the former were at one with their Age. They drew from it
their strengths and weaknesses. They were its mouthpiece and accepted the
notion of progress without much argument. The latter were more or less highly
critical against their age and in this sense it is easy to view them as being
rebellious.
One of the greatest achievements of the age was the universal acceptance of
respectability. This idea accommodated all classes of the society irrespective of
social position, wealth or learning, mainly because it applied to anyone who
exploited clean and tidy habits and who was honest and decent in behaviour.
Though in reality the respectable may not have been numerically large,
nevertheless they did perform the role of informing public opinion. In the main,
they made up the reading public and it was to them that the greatest novelists
of the age addressed themselves. The notion of respectability could also be
viewed as a worthy attempt to do something about the vices and weaknesses
of the age and the novelists were the mouthpieces of their audiences.
Prevailing attitudes towards sex also changed in respect of taboos relating to
the candid recognition and expression of it. There was indeed a double
standard of morality and it affected both sexes differently. However, by the
time of Samuel Butler and John Conrad, these attitudes had drastically
changed, mainly because the vices of the age existed in too high a level to be
ignored. No longer was the novelist out to please only his public. In fact, public
acceptability of his works was no longer a great concern. After the Forster
Education Acts of 1870, the reading public grew larger and thus it was harder
to please everyone, as unlike for novelists such as Dickens and Thackeray, it
was beyond their universal command. Inevitably, this sense of alienation led to

a stratification of the novel. This, coupled with the demands of the new reading
public, led to the breakdown of the Victorian novel into sub-genres like the
psychological novel, the novel of adventure, the picaresque novel, the
detective and thriller novels and other such classifications. The traditional three
volume novel disappeared to be replaced by the single volume works, thus
reducing the content to about a third of the normal length. This streamlined the
novel and imposed on the novelist the necessity to be more choosy and critical
about their choice of incident and material. Previously, the novel had been a
dumping ground for unnecessary claptrap, which tended to weaken the plot
while at the same time sacrificing organization and balance merely in the
interest of filling space. Thus serialization disappeared and the creation of an
autonomous work, as we know it today, came into being.
By far the most popular of the nineteenth century novelists was Jane Austen,
but she was by no means the only one who helped usher in the age, while
simultaneously contributing to the sustained interest and overall development
of the novel form. There were others like Fanny Burnley with The Old Manor
House (1793), Mrs. Ann Radcliffe with her gothic novel, The Mysteries of
Udolpho (1794) and Maria Edgeworth with Castle Rackrent (1800). Of these,
Maria Edgeworth probably occupied first importance because her novel was
published at the turn of the century. Essentially a didactic writer, she had the
ability to create round characters and tended to dramatise them. In Castle
Rackrent, written in the first person, we are aware for the first time of the
uniqueness of her contribution to the nineteenth century novel. In literary
circles it is recognised as the first of all saga novels because it traces the
history of a family through several generations. Maria is also responsible for
giving the novel a local habitation and a name. Previously, the setting of the
English novel had been generalised and conventionalised, because the
novelists of the eighteenth century hardly ever had a sense of place.
If we take a brief look at the last four decades of the era, say from Great
Expectations (1860) to Conrads Heart of Darkness (1902), we can view more
clearly other basic changes in the genre when compared with the works of the
early Victorians. The most glaring as mentioned earlier was the change in
the relationship between the reader and the writer. This was later thought of as
old fashioned and was replaced by an attitude which pretended to deny the
actual presence of the reader. Approximately four decades separate these two
novels and yet this fairly brief period of time saw a lot happen to the novel.
One obvious thing is that it had changed. It was no longer a question of dates
of publication; it was a whole historical vista. The shift in the writer-reader
relationship saw a change of approach by and many novelists such as Thomas
Hardy, Charles Dickens and George Eliot assumed that they were
communicating directly with people, who in the face of all difference, knew that
they had much in common and who were there to be spoken to.
This literary symbiosis between writer-reader is characteristic of all great prose
of the Victorian period. As late as 1850 the English Novel began to drift away
from the previously dominant literary tendency of aristocratic Romanticism.
Dickens and his contemporaries had found this to be artificial, in the sense that
its ulterior purpose was not to help people cope in a positive way with everyday

life, but to convey them to a world different, idealised and more attractive than
their own. This was gradually replaced by a wholly individualistic literary
rebellion by other novelists like Joseph Conrad, Samuel Butler, Thomas Hardy
and George Elliot against the subjectivity of the Romantics and the idealism
and myopic social range of previous literary attitudes.
This awareness of the shortcomings of the English novel increased the desire of
Victorian novelists to make it not only much more interesting and exciting, but
also a much more serious and significant form of art. As a result the novel
developed towards a deeper philosophic analysis of the implications of a
situation and a rendering of experience which was more careful, realistic and
poetic. There was the tendency to lay emphasis on the daily life of the
common man, often concentrating on the sordid and disagreeable and it
employed an impersonal style to match. For an age marked by rapid scientific
growth and drastic changes in both class structure and social organization, it
was an art form that was well-suited to the times. With this conscious
movement towards realism, a new stream of consciousness in the English novel
evolved whereby the novelists view of and disposition towards character,
scene and event gradually replaced their previous approach towards these
issues.
In 1899 Queen Victoria was sixty years on the throne and England ruled the
farthest flung empire the world had ever known. The English way of life was
changing and the Literature was progressively moulded and given an identity
by the growing awareness of being modern. There was also a greater
consciousness of continental aims and standards. Conrad saw the times full of
modern imperialism, of war and violence and mass neurosis all on a scale of a
kind radically different from previous human experience. The setting in many
cases had shifted accordingly from that of the provincial English country or
metropolitan scene, to one of continental scope. Conrad wrote of foreign lands,
Malaya, Africa, India, Indonesia - as in Nostromo (1904), or in Heart of Darkness
(1902) - which was published a year after the death of Queen Victoria and after
she had become Empress of India. He contributed immensely towards
establishing in the English novel the strict necessity to find new forms for every
undertaking and the closeness of the novels to his own experiences was
developed, transfigured and shaped in extraordinary ways. However, by 1880
we see a deliberate attempt by authors such as Mark Rutherford, Samuel Butler
and Conrad to become even more personal and autobiographical. In a sense
they became more self-critical in an attempt to have a better understanding of
their own lives. In the case of Butler, he had such a strong influence on
twentieth century writers that after his semi-autobiographical novel The Way of
all Flesh (1903) came many other autobiographical novels of our time.
The English novel is a social document that has gone through a period of
literary metamorphosis since its inception and it forms an integral part of the
historical development of fiction. By the end of the first decade of the twentieth
century it was obvious that there was an open breach with the past,
reminiscent of the rejection by early Victorian novelists of the neo-classical
ideals of the previous century in favour of Romanticism. The later Victorian
novelists shunned Romanticist ideals for a more realistic approach to the

situations of their times and with Conrad and Butler ushering in the twentieth
century with the publications of Heart of Darkness and The Way of all Flesh
further far-reaching transformations of the novel form had already started to
develop.
The development of the nineteenth century novel was a journey of literary
transition and transformation. The Victorian novelists participated with their
audience in the obsessions and preoccupations of the era and produced an art
form which was to become tremendously popular and which was to make an
immense contribution to a Iiterary heritage that was truly national in all its
ramifications.

Outstanding Facts and Authors:

Many different forms of writing had entertained the Victorians. There was
Poetry, Novels, Romantic Literature, Science-Fiction, Gothic, Southwestern
Humor, Naturalism, Realism, and Transcendentalism writings. An example of
but a few. All of these have significant differences from each other. Below I will
expound on some of these forms of writing and elaborate on some of the most
widely known authors of the 19th century and list some of Literature's classics
both American and English.
Naturalism was a method of writing where the application of methods of
science was philosophically used to describe humans. Through this method
writers felt they could further understand human beings. Naturalistic authors
attempted to explain human's behavior by their hereditary traits or the very
environment people were raised.
Transcendentalism during the middle of the 19th century became an
influence on philosophy and literature. Webster's Dictionary defines
transcendentalism as a philosophy that ultimate reality is completely unknown
and that the spiritual is over the empirical and material. It was based on reality
as one unitary organic whole. It also emphasized the importance of God and
the existence of God in one's mind. One of the most widely known authors to
have wrote under this category was Ralph Waldo Emmerson.
Charlotte Bronte a successful poet and teacher authored these poems:Pilate's
Wife's Dream; Momentos; The Wife's Will; The Wood; Francos; Gilbert; Life; The
Letter; Regret; Presentiment; The Teacher's Monologue; Passion; Preference;
Evening Solace; Stanzas; Parting; Apostasy; Winter Stores;and The Missionary.
Charlotte's sisters Anne and Emily also enjoyed success as poets.

Lewis Carrol's writings were whimsical, fascinating, and incredulous. But

amongst all the mingled words and twisted scenery a simplistic logic lurking in
the shadows could sometimes make itself known. He was a Mathematician and
teacher. He wrote of logic and of paradox. He is mostly known forAlice In
Wonderland; Through The Looking Glass; Phantasmagoria; The Haunting Of The
Snork; Rhyme and Reason; A Tangled Tale; The Game Of Logic; Sylvie and
Bruno; A Logical Paradox; Symbolic Logic (Part I:Elementary) and (Part
II)Advanced; Three Sunsets.
Charles Dickens is one of my all time favorite 19th century writers. I have
always enjoyed his close to life stories. Stories that could reflect his own life.
Stories that implemented a moral. The following is a list of most of his
writings.Sketches by Boz (1836); Oliver Twist (1837); Nicholas Nickleby (1838);
Master Humphrey's Clock (1840); The Old Curiosity Shop (1840-41); Barnaby
Rudge (1841); Martin Chuzzlewit (1843-44); A Christmas Carol (1844); The
Chimes (1844); The Cricket and the Hearth (1845); Pictures From Italy (1846);
Donbey and Son (1847-48); The Battle of Life (1848); The Haunted Man (1848);
David Copperfield (1850); Bleak House (1851); Little Dorrit (1855-57); The
Frozen Deep (1856); Tale of Two Cities (1859-60); Our Mutual Friend (1864-65);
The Mystery of Edwin Drood (unfinished)(1869-70).
William Thackeray was a successful British author. He published in many
magazines and papers throughout his writing career. Among his writings are:
The Irish Sketchbook (1843); From Cornhill to Cairo (1846); Vanity Fair (184748); The Book Of Snobs (1848); The History of Pendennis (1848-50); The
History of Henry Esmond (1852); The Newcomes (1853-55); The Virginians, The
Adventures of Philip on His Way Through The World, Lovell the Widower (185557); Denis Duval (Unfinished Novel)(1863).
Robert Louis Stevenson's writings were rich. His stories fed the imagination and
at the same time gave a cold look at reality. He was versatile in his material
giving his readers access to many styles of writing whether it be novels, short
stories, poems, romances, travelogues, or plays. "Treasure Island" was his first
real widespread success. It was also his first full volume-length fictional
narrative. It was the writing that brought him popularity and had proved
profitable to his career. Some of his stories include the following: An Inland
Voyage (1878); Travels with a Donkey In Cevennes (1879); The Amateur
Emigrant (1879-80); Virginibus Puerisque (1881); The Silverado Squatters
(1883); A Lodging For The Night (1877); The Sire De Maletroits Door (1877);
Providence and The Guitar (1878); New Arabian Nights (1882); Thrawn Janet
(1881); The Merry Men (1882); Treasure Island (1883); The Treasure of
Franchard (1883); The Black Arrow (1883); Markheim (1885); Olalla (1885); The
Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1886); Island Nights' Entertainments
(1893); Bottle Imp (1891); The Beach of Falesa (1892); The Isle of Voices
(1893); Child's Garden of Verses (1885); Kidnapped (1886); Catriona (1893).
Ralph Waldo Emmerson (1803-1882) was a unitarian transcendentalist,
lecturer, philosopher, and a Unitarian Minister. He may be a celebrated author

today but in his day he was looked at a bit strangely. As a young poet he
questioned Christianity then later wrote as a unitarian transcendentalist.
However new this philosophy was at the time several authors adopted it. Henry
David Thoreau, Margaret Fuller, Harriet Martinea, and Bronson Alcott are but a
few. Some of the following are Emmerson's works:"Nature" (1836); "The
American Scholar" (1837); "The Divinity School Address" (1838); "The
Transcendentalist" (1842); "Self-Reliance" (1854).
The Gothic Romance novels were very popular during the early nineteenth
century. These novels had a dark tone setting in a castle with squeaky doors
and lots of mystery, even hauntings, and at times a very incredible horror.
Some gothic stories do without the castles, knights, and dungeons, yet are
placed in a dark atmosphere with incredulous stories filled with violence and
insane characters. Mary Shelley would fall in this catagory among others.
Some writings contained elements of Southwestern humor. These writings were
witty and intellectual and written for an intended audience of educated men.
Mark Twain's (1835-1910) stories fit in this catagory. Mark Twain became
popular with these stories. "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County"
(1867); "The Innocents Abroad"; "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer"; "Life on the
Mississippi"; "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn"; "The Prince and the
Pauper"; "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court" (1889); "Pudd'nhead
Wilson"; "Those extraordinary Twins"
Novels take a group of people and puts them in their settings; then builds the
development of their character and personality realistically. Novels exhibit
reality in great detail. A lot of time goes into expounding the character's
relationship to others, to their nature, and to their surroundings. In novels, the
development of the character is far more important than having action or
adventure.
Romance novels increased in popularity during the 19th century. They dealt
less with the development of character and concentrated on action and
adventure. These stories often wrapped around overwhelming events
sometimes rather fantastic and not so believeable. That is what set them apart
from a typical novel. Authors of romance were freer with fantasy and
concentrated more on action.
It was said that Emily Dickinson,(1830-1886), rarely left her home, after her
father's death. There were a few people who did have a great impact on her.
And these people affected the way she wrote. However isolated she was, she
did maintain a correspondence with her friends and family. Her poetry reflected
her Puritan background and interest in Metaphysical poetry of the 17th century.
She was also inclined to some of the transcendental teachings of the times. Her
writings revealed how lonely she was and how she felt about death. But there
were glimpses of hope in her writings. She was not so acclaimed while yet alive
but after her death her work become known. She was known to have a unique
and an abundantly productive style of verse in her poetry.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882) was a popular modern poet from

Portland Maine. He was very committed to his literary career and was generally
known. Longfellow's poems worked well with readers because of the easy flow
of rhyme and verse. They were easy to understand and about common themes
that the readers could relate to. His poems appealed to many. He was one of
the first authors to have written about Native America in " Song of Hiawatha".
He had sold many copies of his works. Queen Victoria had invited him to
Windsor castle and was called upon by the Prince of Wales. He was probably
one of the most loved American poets. Some of his works are: "Voices of the
Night" (1839); "Ballads and other Poems" (1841); "The Spanish Student"
(1843); "The Belfry of Bruges and other Poems" (1846); "Evangeline" (1847);
"The Seaside and the Fireside" (1849); "The Golden Legend" (1851); "The Song
of Hiawatha" (1855) are but a few.
Edgar Allen Poe (1809-1848) was a most compelling writer in his day. His short
stories and poems are still enjoyed by many. Poe's readers were captivated by
thrills and chilling suspense. He made the reader feel the wrenching horror.
Some of his short stories were much like detective novels introducing formulas
of mystery. Here are a few of his notable works of genius. "Lenore" (1831);
"Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket" (1837) "The Fall of the House of Usher"
(1839); "The Murders in Rue Morgue" (1841); "The Pit and the Pendulum"
(1842); "The Tell-Tale Heart" (1843); "The Raven" (1845); "To Helen"; "The
Bells"; "The Masque of the Red Death"
Melville wrote realistically for his readers. His stories were descriptive and full
of life and depth. Some viewed him as not a scholarly man but he had a keen
intellect and a very warm spirit as some of his friends and fellow colleagues
had noted in letters or journals. He had a persistence to keep on writing even
when things did not look up for him. Unfortunately his health deteriorated with
age and he discontinued writing early on. He was not an ordinary poet. But he
wrote about what he knew with wonderful reality. Here are some of his writings:
Benito; Typee 1846; Benito Cereno; Billy Budd An Inside Narrative; The
Confidence-Man; The Encantadas; The Lightening-Rod Man; Moby Dick 1851;
The Pizza Tales; Hawthorne and His Moses 1850
Nathaniel Hawthorne born in 1804 was born in Salem Massachusettes. He
became friend to fellow colleague Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and Franklin
Pierce the 14th president of the United States. Hawthorne was a firm believer
in transcendentalism as a few of his fellow colleagues were. He did exercise
some of his beliefs. But first and foremost his writing took priority. His writings
were: Twice Told Tales 1837; The Whole History of Grandfather's Chair 1840;
Mosses from an Old Manse 1846; The Scarlet Letter 1850; The House of the
Seven Gables 1851; A Wonderbook for Girls and Boys 1852; The Life of Franklin
Pierce 1852; The Blithedale Romance 1852; Tanglewood Tales 1853; The Marble
Faun 1860; Chiefly About War Matters. 1862
Washington Irving was an American author, essayist, and short story writer.
Although he may be known mostly for Rip Van Winkle, and The Legend of

Sleepy Hollow, Little Britain, Old Christmas, and Captain Bonneville, other
written works stand out as well. He spent time studying the Natives of America
scouting the Prairies to view the Indians up close. He wrote about this in The
Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon 1820; A Tour of the Prairies 1835; and Astoria
1836.
Walt Whitman wrote about his country and democracy and about "the good will
of all mankind". He wrote many editions of Leaves of Grass 1855-1891. Drum
Taps 1865 and Sequal to Drum Taps 1865; Passage To India 1870; and Goodbye
My Fancy 1891. Among his Prose were:Franklin Evans 1842; Democratic Vistas
1871; Memoranda During the War 1875; Specimen Days and Collect 1881;
November Boughs 1888; and Complete Prose Works 1892