Victorian to Modern changes in Literature - Essay Example

The Victorian literature forms the transition between the romantic period and the much different literature of the 20th century such as the Modernist Literature. The literature of the Victorian era had several shared characteristics; The Victorian literature is also more practical and seems to reflect an increased closeness and interest to daily practical problems in human life. The literature is used as an instrument to indicate human progress especially in an era where industrialism was rising while various societal issues such as women’s rights and child labor among others were getting more scrutiny from the public (Browning & Ada 121).

The Victorian literature depicts a more idealistic approach to life despite the era being described as practical. Most writers such as poets, novelists, and essayists emphasize more on ideals such as truth, justice, brotherhood and love among others. A good example is seen in Tennyson’s poem Ulysses, where he emphasizes the ideal life that could provide him with more freedom to travel and adventure (Gupta 68). For the purpose of analysis of this era, the discussion will segment it into three parts; the early, middle and late Victorian era.

In the early era, the British Empire was undergoing a period of economic prosperity with the several industrialization work taking place during this time. For example, the empire was having various infrastructural developments such as railway-making, construction works and coal mining processes. The era was also characterized by a widespread poor living and working conditions, child labor and unfair treatment of women. The literature during this era was more focused on the celebration of the English people and their superiority in the world.

In the mid-Victorian period, the major changes were seen due to the enactment of the Factory Acts which saw changes such as restriction of child labor among others.