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Victorian People and Ideas by Richard D. Altick was written in 1973 as "a companion for the modern reader of Victorian literature". But he manages to present a nice introductory, though a little limited, look at Victorian times. He focuses on the Early and Middle Victorian Era, stating how later Victorian from the 1880's is considered by most historians to be much closer in philosophy and ideals to the Edwardian age than being truly Victorian. As an interesting aside most of Sweet's arguments about how Victorians were different than their perceived image came from this later time period. But the book brought about a lot of half forgotten ideas from A-levels of Robert Peel, the Liberal Tories, the repeal of the Corn Laws, chartism, reform acts and suddenly I remembered a lot more about the early Victorians.
The book starts with a look at where the Victorians came from with a brief description of Regency era, and the Romantic movement. Altick then looks in great detail at the different levels of Victorian society. One point he makes very clear was that it was important to know your position in society, even the labouring classes had very strict social stratas and it was important to know exactly who was above you and who was below you and act accordingly.
The book balanced well between looking at rural life and looking at urban life, the plights of the farmers, who thanks to the enclosure system lost nearly all nutrition from their diet and made very little money, contrasted with people living in slums, working in factories and mines. The Victorians inherited the controversial Poor Law of 1834 which set up workhouses for the poor who could not provide for themselves any other way. These got nicknamed the "poor law Bastille". While the numbers of people who were actually sent to live in the workhouse was small it remained a very real threat to the millions living in poverty or on government subsidies.
While staying away from the more "dazzling" aspect of Sweet's book Altick gave a more rounded view of Victorian society, how it changed over time, what it's beliefs where, where they came from and how they were changed by progress and technology. In the Victorian era they invented Steam Locomotives, gas lighting, electric telegraphs, chloroform, not to mention many machines to help with production in the factories.
The book focused a lot on the rise of the middle class. From the start where they still weren't eligible to vote and had little to no schooling to being voters with education and book markets specifically devoted to them. They were largely responsible for the Evangelicalism that started the Victorian standards of morality. They promoted the idea of respectability the chief Victorian virtue which Altick defined as, "sobriety, thrift, cleanliness of person tidiness of house, good manners, respect for the law, honest in business affairs, chastity and seriousness". However in contrast 1875 was the year of highest consumption of alcohol in England's history with 1.3 gallons of spirits and 34.4 gallons of beer being consumed per capita.
The book also gives a nice introduction to the economic ideas of Laissez Faire capitalism, utilitarianism, Benethamites, and other fashionable philosophies of the time. The examines the impact of religion, and science on religion and on the changing views on art.
The conclusion acknowledges the bad reputation the Victorians got from the predecessors however unlike Sweet he gives a great reason for it, the war to end all wars.
The conclusion states how you can use the evidence of Victorian society to describe almost anything about them from the most outrageous to the most stuffy. This book tries to find some middle ground, and one that relates directly to the ideas put forth in the literature of the time, and gives some great quotes and recommendations for further reading. Well not as dramatic as Sweet's book. I definitely feel like I know and remember a lot more than when I started it. Now I feel ready to delve into some Asa Briggs, who I remember being my favorite historian of the time, way back when I was doing A-levels.
The book starts with a look at where the Victorians came from with a brief description of Regency era, and the Romantic movement. Altick then looks in great detail at the different levels of Victorian society. One point he makes very clear was that it was important to know your position in society, even the labouring classes had very strict social stratas and it was important to know exactly who was above you and who was below you and act accordingly.
The book balanced well between looking at rural life and looking at urban life, the plights of the farmers, who thanks to the enclosure system lost nearly all nutrition from their diet and made very little money, contrasted with people living in slums, working in factories and mines. The Victorians inherited the controversial Poor Law of 1834 which set up workhouses for the poor who could not provide for themselves any other way. These got nicknamed the "poor law Bastille". While the numbers of people who were actually sent to live in the workhouse was small it remained a very real threat to the millions living in poverty or on government subsidies.
While staying away from the more "dazzling" aspect of Sweet's book Altick gave a more rounded view of Victorian society, how it changed over time, what it's beliefs where, where they came from and how they were changed by progress and technology. In the Victorian era they invented Steam Locomotives, gas lighting, electric telegraphs, chloroform, not to mention many machines to help with production in the factories.
The book focused a lot on the rise of the middle class. From the start where they still weren't eligible to vote and had little to no schooling to being voters with education and book markets specifically devoted to them. They were largely responsible for the Evangelicalism that started the Victorian standards of morality. They promoted the idea of respectability the chief Victorian virtue which Altick defined as, "sobriety, thrift, cleanliness of person tidiness of house, good manners, respect for the law, honest in business affairs, chastity and seriousness". However in contrast 1875 was the year of highest consumption of alcohol in England's history with 1.3 gallons of spirits and 34.4 gallons of beer being consumed per capita.
The book also gives a nice introduction to the economic ideas of Laissez Faire capitalism, utilitarianism, Benethamites, and other fashionable philosophies of the time. The examines the impact of religion, and science on religion and on the changing views on art.
The conclusion acknowledges the bad reputation the Victorians got from the predecessors however unlike Sweet he gives a great reason for it, the war to end all wars.
It was the Victorian's bungling the art of geopolitics and their monumental stupidity, complacency, and short sightedness which had condemned Britain to an exhausting conflict, as grossly mismanaged on the home front and in the theaters of war
The conclusion states how you can use the evidence of Victorian society to describe almost anything about them from the most outrageous to the most stuffy. This book tries to find some middle ground, and one that relates directly to the ideas put forth in the literature of the time, and gives some great quotes and recommendations for further reading. Well not as dramatic as Sweet's book. I definitely feel like I know and remember a lot more than when I started it. Now I feel ready to delve into some Asa Briggs, who I remember being my favorite historian of the time, way back when I was doing A-levels.