Write a Brief note on development and main trends of the Victorian

Write a Brief note on development and main trends of the Victorian poetry.

Ans.

The Victorian period, which falls roughly between the years 1830 and 1880, is one of the most complex periods in the history of English literature. It is also one of the most unjustly denounced and depreciated periods. For several decades in the present century, the words “Victorian” and ‘Victorianism‘ had been used as terms of abuse, though nobody could say with confidence what they really meant by these words. It was a kind of over reaction to certain notions and conventions of the Victorian period which did not find favour with the people of a later generation. Such a reaction was bound to come sooner or later and it was quite natural, since every age has a right to develop its own attitudes to the many human and social problems in the light of new developments and new experiences. But in denouncing the Victorian and as if they were mire fools or merely grown-up children, the so called modern people of the early twentieth century merely’ showed their inability to rise above the prejudices of their own generation. Gradually we have learned to respect our elders of the previous generation and a more objective and dispassionate analysis of their idea, ideals and viewpoints- has been in the process of development for the last fifty years or so. As a result, we have come to recognize certain broad features of the literature of this great period, both in regard to its limitations and its merits.

The salient features of Victorian poetry are as follows:

1. A Continuation of Romanticism- Victorian poetry reflected more or less a continuation of the spirit of the earlier age. But the poets of this age lacked both the intensity and the spontaneity of the Romantic poets. Though they worked on new subjects and in course of time evolved new tools and techniques, the major Victorian poets were, in the beginning at least, admirers of Shelley, Keats and the other Romantics. Tennyson has followed Keats in word-painting and in keenness of observation, Browning has been deeply affected by Shelley’s idealism and Matthew Arnold has imbibed the influence of both Shelley and Keats although he has been, as a critic, harsh with the former and lavish in praise for the latter. The -Pre-Raphaelites may safely be termed disciples of Keats in some respects, especially in their love of poetry as pure art and their fine sensibility. Thus the Victorian age in poetry continues the romantic spirit with some alteration of tone and emphasis.

2. Its Moral Tone- Nearly all observers of the Victorian age are struck by its extreme deference to conventions. To a later age these seem ludicrous. It was thought indecorous, for example, for a man to smoke in public and for a lady to ride a bicycle. To a great extent the mew morality was a natural revolt against the? grossness of the earlier Regency period. And the influence of the Victorian Court was all in its favour. In literature it is amply reflected. Tennyson is the most conspicuous example in poetry, creating the priggishly complacent Sir Galahad and King Arthur. And. Dickens is perhaps the most representative of the Victorian novelists. Victorian preoccupation with morality does not touch the deeper chords of our soul; it seems rather to play on the surface of life, except in a few instances.

3. Search for Balance- Cazamian describes the Victorian period as an age with a quest for equilibrium or a search for balance. Many conflicting qualities and ideas exist together during this period, which give it the character of a most complicated era in the history of thought. There is, on the one hand, an extraordinary development of the material comforts and resultant materialistic or utilitarian culture and on the other hand there is a spirit of questioning regarding the values of this culture. There is at once a feeling of pride in the growth of science and the scientific spirit and a tendency to ridicule intellectualism as it is seen to encroach upon the territory of religious faith. The Victorians were a deeply religious people. no doubt, even though their religion never came in the way of their gross material outlook. In poetry the age witnesses an attempt on the part of its major poets to effect order and discipline in expression. And these qualities lead them more and more away from the individualistic tendencies of the romantic poetry and bring them closer to the classical spirit. And they also give their subjects a more homely and familiar treatment. Even their romantic lovers and their mistresses are consciously kept within the bounds of decorum and decency and they are not allowed to roam about freely.

4. The Spirit of Doubt. and Revolt- Strange as it may seem, the Victorians were not altogether a tame people. Many writers protested against the deadening effects of the conventions. Carlyle and Matthew Arnold were. in their different ways, loud in their denunciations. Brownings mannerisms were an indirect challenge to the velvety diction and the smooth self satisfaction of the school of Tennyson. In poetry the Pre-Raphaelites proclaimed no morality but that of the artist’s regard for art. Matthew Arnold represented the spirit of misgiving regarding the ultimate usefulness of the new ideas growing in the name of science and progress. He was deeply perturbed about the erosion of traditional faith and the void in the human soul created by that erosion.

5. The Birth of Nationalism- The Victorian period saw an upsurge of the national spirit which was unprecedented in the history of England. Many factors contributed to this upsurge. One was the fast growth of industrialism and the prosperity it brought to the nation.. And the other was the growth of British Imperialism which, rightly or wrongly, gave the English people the confidence that they were a superior people born only to rule the earth. The voice of this national spirit is heard in the poetry of Tennyson, the most representative poet of the Victorian period. “For nearly half a century”: says W. J. Long, “Tennyson was not only a man and a poet, he was a voice, the voice of a whole people, expressing in exquisite melody their doubts and their faith, their grief’s and their triumphs.” Thus as a poet Tennyson expresses not so much a personal as a national spirit.

6. Intellectualism- The literary product of the period was inevitably affected by the new ideas in science, religion and politics. On the Origin of Species (1859) of Darwin shook scientific thought to its foundations. We can perceive the influence of such a work in Tennyson’s In Memoriam, in Matthew Arnold’s meditative poetry and in the works of Carlyle. The intellectual tone of much of the Victorian poetry makes it somewhat sober in comparison with much of the Romantic poetry of the previous age. The poetry of Tennyson, Browning and Arnold-the three major poets of the age-reflects a spirit of meditation and deep contemplation of the serious problems of life and death or the social problems of the age.

7. The Quality of its Poetic Output- The age is remarkable for its immense production and for the large number of highly talented poets. But none of these poets can rank with the greatest of the Romantic poets. The Victorian poets- cultivated many old poetic forms and also invented a few new ones. They also experimented with new verse forms, moulding older stanza forms and creating new ones to suit their purpose. The lyric output of the age is large and varied. Tennyson thought in terms of the epic when he contemplated his major work, but he could produce only smaller fragments which he aptly called Idylls of the King. Browning created and perfected a new poetic form known as the dramatic monologue. Tennyson’s style is on the whole simple and balanced because it is self-conscious, but at times it degenerates into ornate. Browning uses comparatively simpler diction, though at places his poetry suffers from obscurity. Matthew Arnold was too classical in his style and wrote with a sort of studied simplicity. The average style of the period is, however, ornate rather than simple.

The Victorian era produced a stupendous mass of literature, as was never done before in the history of English literature. But it produced no great poet comparable to Shakespeare or Milton or Wordsworth. “The general literary level, however, was very high and it was an age, moreover, of spacious intellectual horizons, noble endeavour and bright aspirations.”