Victorian Age

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Victorian Age
2
Victorian Era

• The Victorian era is generally agreed to stretch
  through the reign of Queen Victoria (1837-1901).
  It was a tremendously exciting period when many
  artistic styles, literary schools, as well as,
  social, political and religious movements
  flourished. It was a time of prosperity, broad
  imperial expansion, and great political reform.
  It was also a time, which today we associate with
  "prudishness" and "repression". Without a doubt,
  it was an extraordinarily complex age, that has
  sometimes been called the Second English
  Renaissance. It is, however, also the beginning
  of Modern Times.
• http//www.victoriaspast.com/FrontPorch/victoriane
  ra.htm

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Victorian Women

• A lady should be quiet in her manners, natural
  and unassuming in her language, careful to wound
  no ones feelings, but giving generously and
  freely from the treasures of her pure mind to her
  friends. Scorning no one openly, she should feel
  gentle pity for the unfortunate, the inferior and
  the ignorant, at the same time carrying herself
  with an innocence and single heartedness which
  disarms ill nature, and wins respect and love
  from all.
• Etiquette of dress for the proper lady.
• The full dinner dress for guests admits of great
  splendor. It may be of any thick texture of silk
  or velvet for winter or light rich goods for
  summer, and should be long and sweeping. The fan
  should be perfect in its way, and the gloves
  should be quite fresh. Diamonds are used in
  broaches, pendants, earrings and bracelets. All
  the light neutral tints, and black, dark blue,
  purple, dark green, garnet, brown and fawn are
  suited for dinner wear.
• http//www.victorianstation.com/lifestylemenu.htm

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Victorian Men

• He acts kindly from the impulse of his kind
  heart.
• He is brave, because, with a conscience void of
  offence, he has nothing to fear.
• He is never embarrassed, for he respects himself
  and is profoundly conscious of right intentions..
• He opposes without bitterness and yields without
  admitting defeat.
• He is never arrogant, never weak.
• He bears himself with dignity, but never
  haughtily.
• To superiors he is respectful without servility
  to equals courteous to inferiors kind.
• He carries himself with grace in all places, is
  easy but never familiar, genteel without
  affection.
• He unites gentleness of manner with firmness of
  mind.
• He commands with mild authority, and asks favors
  with grace and assurance.

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Behavior of a Lady out in public

• The true lady walks the street, wrapped in a
  mantle of proper reserve, so impenetrable that
  insult and coarse familiarity shrink from her,
  while she, at all times, carries with her a
  congenial atmosphere which attracts all, and
  puts all at their ease
• A lady walks quietly through the streets, seeing
  and hearing nothing that she ought not to,
  recognizing acquaintances with a courteous bow,
  and friends with words of greeting. She is always
  unobtrusive, never talks loudly, or laughs
  boisterously, or does anything to attract the
  attention of the passers-by. She walks along in
  her own quiet, lady-like way, and by her
  preoccupation is secure from any annoyance. A
  true lady in the street, as in the parlor is
  modest, discreet, kind and obliging.
• It is proper that the lady should first recognize
  the gentleman. A gentleman will never fail to bow
  in return to a lady but a lady may not feel at
  liberty to return a gentlemans bow, which places
  him in a rather unpleasant position. Therefore, a
  lady should give the first smile or bow. She must
  refrain, at all times, from using the gentlemans
  Christian name.

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Behavior of a gentleman out in public

• A real gentleman never swears or talks
  uproariously. He should never fail to raise his
  hat politely to an acquaintance of either sex. If
  he should bump into someone or step upon a ladys
  dress he must "beg their pardon", and at no time
  should he lose his temper nor attract attention
  by excited conversation.
• It is proper to offer a lady his arm,
  particularly in the evening and it should always
  be the right arm. People passing should observe
  the law of "turn to the right" and in this way
  the lady would not be jostled. It is always
  proper for a gentleman walking alone to give the
  lady or a gentleman with a lady, the inside of
  the walk.

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Womens Rights

• Women were denied the right to vote or hold
  political office throughout the period, but
  gradually won significant rights such as custody
  of minor children and the ownership of property
  in marriage.  By the end of Victorias reign,
  women could take degrees at twelve universities. 
  Hundreds of thousands of working-class women
  labored at factory jobs under appalling
  conditions, and many were driven into
  prostitution.  While John Stuart Mill argued that
  the nature of women was an artificial thing,
  most male authors preferred to claim that women
  had a special nature fitting them for domestic
  duties.  
• http//www.wwnorton.com/college/english/nael/victo
  rian/review/summary.htm5

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Victorian Courtship

• http//www.victoriaspast.com/Courtshipdance/courts
  hipdance.html

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Oscar Wilde

• Born 1854 in Dublin
• Received undergraduate education at Trinity
  College in Dublin
• Was able to attend college because his father was
  a widely known surgeon in Dublin
• Went on to grad school in Oxford- Magdalen
  College in 1874
• 1884- married Constance Lloyd and by 1886 had two
  sons
• 1889 wrote many plays and poetry had written
  Picture of Dorian Gray- most widely acclaimed
  novel
• 1895- wrote The Importance of Being Earnest it
  was to premiered on Feb 14, 1895

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• Wilde had been having an affair with Lord Alfred
  Douglas who he had fallen deeply in love with
  Douglass father, the Marquess of Queensbury was
  against his sons relationship with Wilde
• Marquess went to Wildes premier with the intent
  of calling him out in front of the audience he
  was banned from the door as Wilde had heard of
  his intent
• Instead, Marquess went to Wildes club and left a
  note reading Oscar Wilde Posing as Somdomitehe
  spelled it wrong!!!

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• Wilde had charges brought against Marquess for
  libel
• They went to trial where the defense attorney
  gathered houseboys who testified to Wildes acts
  of homosexuality the charges were dropped
  against the Marquess of Queensbury
• The judge turned around to charge Wilde with
  homosexuality as it was illegal in England at the
  time
• Up until1828, homosexuality was a crime
  punishable by death after that it was just a
  convictable offense
• Wildes first trial ended in a hung jury the
  second ended with his conviction
• He was sentenced to two years in a hard labor
  prison where he walked on a treadmill for six
  hours per day
• He was released in 1897 moved to France and died
  there in 1900
• The Importance of Being Earnest closed within 100
  days because of all the negative publicity
  surrounding Wilde at the time

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The Importance of Being Earnest

• Wildes plays offered audiences a fresh contrast
  to the somber tones of the Victorian dramas that
  emphasized proper manners and rigid morals. He
  was anything by rigid and went against the norms
  of traditional Victorian society.

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Things to remember

• Typically, fashionable society in the 19th
  century placed great importance on family
  background, rank, financial status, manners and
  morals. The Importance of Being Earnest is a
  satirical look at values and concerns of the
  segment of society that Wilde once called the
  beautiful people. The characters are usually
  stereotypes, or simplified examples of different
  traits or qualities.

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Characters

• John/Jack Worthing Justice of the Peace
• Algernon Moncrieff Gwendolyns cousin
• Rev. Canon Chasuble Friend to Miss Prism
• Merriman A butler
• Lane A manservant
• Lady Bracknell Mother to Gwendolyn aunt to
  Algernon
• Gwendolen Fairfax Mr. Worthings love interest
• Cecily Cardew Mr. Moncriefs love interest
  ward to Mr. Worthing
• Miss Prism A Governess/Tutor to Cecily

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As you read

• What message is the author conveying about
• Aristocracy
• Love
• Marriage
• Men
• Women
• Manners
• Literary Works
• Also, record who says the following aphorisms in
  each act. It should give you some insight to the
  above ideas.