19C - Victorian Poetry in the Late Nineteenth Century Lesson
Victorian Poetry in the Late Nineteenth Century
19th Century Victorian Poetry (1848-1900)
Poetry written after the Romantic movement ended around 1848 falls into the Victorian Poetry category. Victorian poetry mirrors Romantic poetry in many different ways. For instance, Victorian poetry often reveals the themes of Romanticism such as an appreciation for nature and the supernatural. However, Victorian poets often attempt to reclaim the past by mirroring classical and medieval literature with mythological elements, chivalrous knights, and strict poetic form.
Many Victorian poets focused on social issues and the absence of God, but some poets featured elements of devotion to God. Victorian poetry often serves as bridge from Romanticism to Modernism by focusing heavily on natural elements but including tones of brooding skepticism and less heightened emotion from the Modernist period.
Elements of Victorian Poetry
- Victorian poets attempted to reclaim the past in an
ever-changing Industrial society and includes elements of Classical
and Medieval poetry - Many Victorian poets held a scientific convict ion of God's
absence and made that clear in their poems; however, some
Victorian poets wrote devotional poe ms - Victorian poetry appears in more modern language and towards
the end of the 19th century, poems included themes of a more
personal religious experience - Victorian poetry contains elements of Romanticism such as an
interest in mystery and imagination but differs from Romanticism
by including tones of brooding skepticism and less heightened
emotion
Reading Assignment
All of your reading assignments for this lesson are compiled together in the packet below.
A.E. Housman
Housman, who lived from 1859 to 1936, is essentially a lyric poet, although some of his poems contain dramatic situations. His general pessimism revealed the disappointments of youth in England during the Victorian time period. He has a preoccupation with death, and his poems contain simple, tight verse forms and clear language and syntax. During his lifetime, Housman published only two books of poetry containing a little more than one hundred poems.
"To An Athlete Dying Young"
"To an Athlete Dying Young" is both a lyric poem and an elegy that centers on the early, untimely death of an athlete at the height of his career. Published between the Boer Wars, many people viewed the poem as a lament to the many young men who died too soon in the war.
Read "To an Athlete Dying Young."
Note: When reading, take note of the undertones of the skepticism and pessimism noted by Victorian poets during this time period.
Matthew Arnold
Matthew Arnold, who lived from 1822 to 1888, worked as an inspector of schools and wrote poetry that presented social issues. Along with being a poet, Arnold was a cultural critic who often critiqued education. Many people consider Arnold to be a bridge between Romanticism and Modernism due to his heavy descriptions of the natural landscape combined with the pessimistic perspective that Modernism enforces.
"Dover Beach"
"Dover Beach," published in 1867, is a lyric poem that metaphorically uses the action of the tide to represent the loss of faith in the modern, changing times. The title of the poem names the shore of an English ferry front on the Straight of Dover.
Read "Dover Beach."
Note: When reading note the allusions to classical literature that Arnold incorporates as characteristics of Victorian poetry. Similarly, notice the elements of Romanticism that Arnold presents.
Alfred, Lord Tennyson
Alfred Lord Tennyson lived from 1809 to 1892 and stood out in creating short lyric poems based on classic mythological heroes, such as Ulysses. The subjects of his poems also included medieval legends, domestic situations, and observations of nature. The government appointed Tennyson as Poet Laureate, the official poet according to the government, in 1850.
"Charge of the Light Brigade"
The "Charge of the Light Brigade", published in 1854, is a narrative poem about the Charge of the Light Brigade at the Battle of Balaclava during the Crimean War. The Charge of the Light Brigade was a charge against Russian forces led by Lord Cardigan, a commander of the British forces.
The stanzas reveal a different part of the action, and Tennyson combines the nobility of supporting one's country with the horrors of war in general.
Read "Charge of the Light Brigade."
When reading, notice how Tennyson focuses on and paints the horrific images of death.
Christina Rossetti
Christina Rossetti lived from 1830 to 1894 and does not fully fit in with most Victorian poets seeing as her poems were mostly romantic or devotional. Rossetti experimented with various verse forms and wrote many Biblical narratives and folk tales based on the lives of the Saints.
"Goblin Market"
"Goblin Market" is a narrative poem published in 1862. Some consider the poem written for children, but ideas of the intended audience vary. Her brother Dante Gabriel Rossetti, a Pre-Raphaelite artist, illustrated the poem for her.
"Goblin Market" is about two young sisters experiencing temptation and alludes to the biblical story of Adam and Eve. Some critics interpret the poem as Rossetti promoting feminine sexuality. Typical Victorian literature ends with the "fallen woman", or a woman who has lost her innocence, dying, but Rossetti paints a picture of redemption for the "fallen woman" in her poem.
Read "Goblin Market."
When reading the poem, attempt to recognize the various interpretations critics have of the poem. Notice the Biblical allusions and the themes of temptation and redemption that Rossetti reveals in the devotional narrative.
Thomas Hardy
Thomas Hardy, who lived from 1840 to 1928, was one of the principal novelists of late-Victorian Britain, but he ended his career as a poet. He published his first book of poems, Wessex, in 1898. He wrote in various poetic forms such as lyrics, ballads, dramatic monologues, dialogues, and epic poems; many of his poems were war poems told from the point of view of the soldier and used common language. Themes of disappointment in love and life permeated his poetry, as well. Hardy's poetry marks a transition from Victorian verse to the Modernist movement of the twentieth century. In his use of strict meter and stanza structure, Hardy was unmistakably Victorian. However, his non-poetic language, odd rhymes, his devotion to English characters and the English countryside, and his fatalistic outlook inspired many twentieth-century poets.
"The Darkling Thrush"
"The Darkling Thrush" contains the Modernist elements Hardy is known for as a pre-cursor to the Modernist movement by writing about the problems caused by the modern world such as hopelessness, isolation, and despair. However, the themes of nature in the poem remain characteristic of the Romantic movement, and his formal poetic structure solidifies his position with the Victorian poets.
Read "The Darkling Thrush."
When reading, note the bleakness, pessimism, and irony that the poem contains in order to create the backdrop of the powerful natural forces that take no account of human life.
Victorian Poetry Self-Assessment
After reviewing the various poems, practice understanding of the Victorian poetry from the module.
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