THE VICTORIAN NOVEL

The Victorian novel reflects social changes, such as the industrial revolution, the struggle for democracy and the growth of the towns. It became obvious during 1840 that the 1^st industrial civilization in the history of world, had reached estate of acute generalized crisis, that was recorded and analysed in all the institutions of the new urban culture.

It is not surprising, therefore, that the novel widely -read although not considered great art, should have found a new vitality and thanks to an important generations of writers,  became to have a real impact on legislators, opinion formers and those who could vote to change the world. This append through the novelistic mixing of documentary and romance, sensationalism and prophecy.

The novel allied himself to parliamentary reports, of industry, agriculture, health, prison condition and criminality.

The most characteristic theme in Victorian novel in class.

Although it would be over simplify to describe the Victorian novel as a  photograph of social reality, the problem of relationship between one class to another, the desire of raise, and the fear of falling down of the social level, and the problems that arose from the exploitation of labour and corruption or inadequacy in social services are all familiar and central themes in early Victorian novel up to the Great Exhibition on 1851.    

The problem was general centred on the relationship between an individual and a group of society as a whole and this relationship obviously had both bed side and a good one. Then the main character's journey is usually between these two poles. It is in any case  a fact that between 1830 and 1854 the period under consideration social history became a vital part of novel functioning  both as witness  and commentary.

The reason for this are not to be found in the juxtaposition of classes and the contrast between the riches and poors. The spread of publishing of both literature and information, which began in the 1^st years of the century, and increase with the increase of literacy and of the reading public is also responsible.  This reading public was predominant middle class and in particular lower middle class. The most popular subject for working writers was family life especially middle class family life.

Dickens, Thackery, the Brontee's sister, Gaskel all come from the middle class this explains two other important and characteristics  elements of Victorian fiction, on the one hand there is the realism derived from the 18^th century narrative of Richardson, De Foe, Fielding, a realism that kept his precarious equilibrium between two equal and juxtaposed dimension, pathos and the grotesque  , which on the other hand account for the exaggeration of the themes, characters and emotions which is most typically of Victorian novel.