Victorian literature

Twenty contributions, chosen and edited for ease of comprehension by young adult audiences, present an overview of English literature under the reign of Queen Victoria (1837-1901). The material is organized into chapters treating the reformist qualities of the writers, the character of the writing, the poetry, and the novels. Specific topics include female independence in , the philosophy of George Eliot, the effect of an increasing readership, and the metrical style of Tennyson's poems. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

• Foreword p. 7
• Introduction p. 9
• Victorian Literature: An Overview p. 11
• Chapter 1 The Era of Reform
• 1 Victorian Writers Provided Public Guidance p. 28 Walter E. Houghton
• 2. Victorian Writers Rejected Radical Social Reforms p. 37 Roland A. Duerksen
• 3. Victorian Essayists Criticized the Industrial Age p. 42 Edith C. Batho and Bonamy Dobree
• Chapter 2 The Character of Victorian Writing
• 1. The Antiliterary Tone of Victorian Prose p. 52 Geoffrey Tillotson
• 2. Victorian Novels Have a Moral Design p. 58 John R. Reed
• 3. Victorian Writers Catered to an Increasing Readership p. 66 Richard D. Altick
• 4. Victorian Nonfiction Possesses Literary Qualities p. 76 John D. Cooke and Lionel Stevenson
• Chapter 3 The Poets
• 1. Victorian Poetry Reflects the Intellectual Uncertainty of the Age p. 86 Kristian Smidt
• 2. Victorian Poets Were Devalued p. 95 Walter E. Houghton and G. Robert Stange
• 3. Victorian Poets Accommodated Popular Taste p. 105 E.D.H. Johnson
• 4. Tennyson's Metrical Mastery p. 113 T.S. Eliot
• 5. The Moment of Illumination in Browning's Dramatic Monologues p. 122 Shiv K. Kumar
• 6. The Search for Self-Knowledge in Arnold's Poetry p. 129 Allan Brick
• Chapter 4 The Novelists
• 1. Five Major Victorian Novelists p. 138 Richard Church
• 2. The Victorian Hero p. 147 Frederick R. Karl
• 3. The Epic Heritage of Wuthering Heights p. 152 Vereen Bell
• 4. Female Independence in Jane Eyre p. 161 Erica Jong
• 5. Dickens: The Epitome of the Victorian Age p. 167 S. Diana Neill
• 6. George Eliot: The Imaginative Philosopher p. 179 John Holloway
• Epilogue: Victorian Literature Reconsidered
• 1. Modern Attitudes Toward Victorian Fiction p. 189 Lionel Stevenson
• Chronology p. 196
• For Further Research p. 200
• Works Consulted p. 203
• Index p. 204