the Victorian Compromise

EMPIRICISM

Dickens and Mill

legislation should help men
with positive aspects represented
by MENTAL ENERGY

-EDUCATION
-ART
-REFORMS for POPULAR EDUCATION

emancipaton of women
-trade union organisation
-co-operatives
-extension of representation
to all citizens

EVANGELICALISM

inspired by John Weasley,
the founder of methodism.
It advocated - sunday observance
- stict code of behaviour
- Dedication to humanitarian
causes and social reforms.

It wants to find an EQUILIBRE between the oppisite parts of society

UTILITARIANISM

the utilitarians ( Jeremy Bentham) neglected human
and cultural values: any problem could be overcome
trough reason

KEY WORDS:
-usefulness
-happiness
-avoidance of pain

VICTORIAN VALUES:

-DUTY

-HARD WORK

-RESPECTABILITY

-CHARITY

AUTHORITY

PATRIOTISM:
pride and national fervar with ideas of RACIAL SUPERIORITY

find an apparent
confirmation at the
variety of the races
and people

RACES: divided by
physical and intellectual
differences.

SOCIETY

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In 'The Picture of Dorian Gray' Oscar Wilde describes Victorian society: middle class is characterised by 'DUBLE FACE' and hypocritical manners.

MIDDLE CLASS: society's values were applicated to FAMILY

-patriarchal unity

-MAN'S authority

-CHILDREN'S EXPLOITATION and HOUSE'S MANAGING by WOMAN

RESPECTABLY was:
-morality
-hypocrisy
-severity
-conformity
-female chastity

POOR PEOPLE
STRAY CHILDREN
DRUNKEN MEN
FALLEN WOMEN

fallen women: single women with a child
ostracised and emarginated by the society

THOMAS HARDY
'Tess of the D'Urbervilles'

SEXUALITY (repressed) vs PRUDERY

- refuse of nudity in art

-rejection of words with sexual connotation
from everyday vocabulary

Answer the following questions about 'Victorian Age':
1) Which are the fundamental aspects of the 'Victorian Age'?
2)What is the code of values based on?
3)How is Victorian society's structure?
4)What is 'Patriotism'?
5)In the Victorian Age which were the most important books that talk about the origin of the world and its inhabitants?

values respected by all social classes(expecially BOURGEOISIE)
BUT
they wanted to APPEAR RESPECTABLE only in front of society.

Victorian emphasis upon moral conduct was influenced by Evangelicalism

The Victorian Age (1837-1901)

POVERTY and INJUSTICE SOCIAL UNREST

STABILITY and GREAT SOCIAL REFORMS

DARWINISM

scientific dicovery, geology and biology gave a question: ' is the universe transparen and stable to intellect?'

'On the origin of species':
man is the result of a process of evolutions and in the fight for life only the strongest species survived

BIBLE:
his story is discarded by Darwin, in fact he thinks that weakest species deserve to be defeated.

Literature: NATURALISM
phylosophy: DARWINISM

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Naturalism is a literary current developed in France in the 2nd half of XIXth century. It explains the reality in its scientific aspects and it is founded on the concept of the 'natural selection'

British have to impose their superiority ( GOD'S OBLIGATION) to NATIVE POPULATION

IN :

politics institutions

-law

-way of life

colonial writers as R. Kipling
exaltend the concept of
'THE WHITE MAN'S BURDEN'

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expansion of the empire= MISSION