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| The expression, "Victorian values", is thus two-edged. | The expression, "Victorian values", is thus two-edged. | ||
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Revision as of 04:56, 16 March 2003
The Victorian Era of Britain is considered the height of the industrial revolution in Britain and the apex of the British Empire. It is often defined as the years from 1837 to 1901 when Victoria I of the United Kingdom reigned.
Notable elements of the Victorian era include:
- The novels of Charles Dickens, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Anne Bronte, Charlotte Bronte and Emily Bronte
- The operettas of Gilbert and Sullivan
- The constructions of Isambard Kingdom Brunel
- The Franco-Prussian War
- The policies of New Imperialism
The Victorian period is now regarded as one of many contradictions. The term "Victorian" has acquired a range of connotations, including that of a particularly strict set of moral standards, often applied hypocritically. This stems from the impression that Queen Victoria herself (and her husband, Prince Albert, perhaps even more so) was an innocent, unaware of the private habits of many of her respectable subjects - this particularly relates to their sex lives. This impression is far from the truth. Victoria's attitude to sexual morality actually sprang from her knowledge of the corrosive effect which the loose morals of the aristocracy in earlier reigns had had on the public's respect for the nobility and the Crown.
During the Victorian era, an outward appearance of dignity and restraint tended to be cultivated, whilst prostitution was rife, and child labour and the exploitation of the working classes and the colonies were essential to the British economy.
The expression, "Victorian values", is thus two-edged.
See also: Victorian fashion