Sunday, August 6, 2017

Victorian Literature and the Industrial Revolution: Factories, Ragged Schools, and Serial Novels




It’s August, which means school will be starting up soon for many of us, whether we are parents, teachers, or continuing students. As a high school English teacher myself, my mind is turning towards the classic literature I will be delving into with my students this year, starting off with one of my favorites, Dickens's A Tale of Two Cities.

                            Charlotte Bronte.  Courtesy of the University of Texas Libraries, The University of Texas at Austin. 
Many of us love classic Victorian novels like those of the Bronte sisters or     Charles Dickens, but did you know we have the Industrial Revolution to thank for many of these books we still enjoy today? When I had the chance to study in Oxford, England, during my college years, I found the connection between Victorian Literature and the Industrial Revolution fascinating. I thought you might enjoy hearing a bit about it too.


The Industrial Revolution began in England in the late 18th century with the development of early machines for processing textiles and producing cloth. By the 1830s, the proliferation of factories and mill towns had changed the physical and social landscape of Britain. Family structure changed as people moved from farms to cities and women and children went to work in the factories as well as men. 

Ironworks Factory. Courtesy National Library of Wales.
Poverty and squalor abounded, but the Industrial Revolution had positive impacts too.

For one thing, while many children who suffered long hours working in the factories did not go to school, ultimately education and literacy increased as a result of the Industrial Revolution. The very presence of these children in the factories eventually raised awareness of their need for schooling, and benefactors established schools to give these little ones Christian and academic education. In fact, in 1844 Parliament passed a law requiring child workers to be given six half-days for schooling per week. The so-called “Ragged Schools,” Sunday Schools, schools for girls, and other public or charity schools meant that more and more children could learn to read and write despite the hardship of their lives.

With more working class people knowing how to read, the demand for reading material naturally rose. Coupled with mechanization’s greater ability to mass-produce texts, literature began to flourish like never before, with novels and poetry for both adults and children. Many of these authors, like Charlotte, Emily, and Anne Bronte, Charles Dickens, Lewis Carroll, Robert Louis Stevenson, Alfred Lord Tennyson, and Christina Georgina Rossetti, are still beloved today.

Charles Dickens. Source: Wikimedia Commons
{{PD-1923}} – public domain in the U.S.
The darker side of the industrial revolution also fueled literature in a different way. Novelists like Charles Dickens and poets like Elizabeth Barrett Browning used their writing to shine light on the abuses of the poor, the horrible conditions of the working class, and the plight of children through books like Dickens’s Hard Times and Oliver Twist or poems like Browning’s “TheCry of the Children.” These works still stand as examples of how literature can touch people’s hearts and influence society for good.
Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain

Many of us don’t realize that most Victorian novels were published in serial form, usually a chapter at a time in newspapers or magazines, before they were released as an entire book. The industrial revolution had also produced an growing middle class, and for the first time many families had the time (and the literacy) to sit around the fire in the evenings at leisure together. And what better way to pass the time than to read a story aloud? So they would pick up a magazine or newspaper and read together the latest installment of Jane Eyre, Vanity Fair, or The Pickwick Papers

There’s even a website now that has many of these classic novels organized by the serial order in which they appeared in various English periodicals during the Victorian period. You can view original facsimiles of these early editions of these beloved stories and see how they looked, chapter by chapter, to loyal fans and families for the very first time. While the site can be a bit tricky to navigate, it’s fun to explore—here’s the link if you’d like to take a peek!


So, what are some of your favorite Victorian novels? Did any of this information about the influence of the Industrial Revolution surprise you? Would you have enjoyed reading novels in serial form, or would it frustrate you to have to wait a month to read the next chapter? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

8 comments:

  1. I like that educating the children became something important!

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    1. Isn't it interesting, Connie? We think of that as such a basic concept, but it's really rather recent. Thanks for stopping by and sharing!

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  2. Yes, I was surprised about the Industrial Revolution having an impact on Victorian novels. I remember reading Vanity Fair in high school. I should find a copy to reread this one, I'm sure I would enjoy it better now. I would not like to wait a month to read another chapter in a serial form book. It's hard enough waiting at times for the next release in a series where you are so caught up with the characters they seem like family members. Great post.

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    1. I agree, Marilyn--it would be hard for me to wait a month for another chapter! I feel like I would forget what was happening by that time. :) Thanks so much for stopping by--blessings!

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  3. Yes, I realized that these were first published by chapters in periodicals. I was surprised to learn , a while ago , that Dickens came and made a tour of the US! Thanks again for the history lesson!

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    1. Thank you, Paula! I remember that Dickens came to tour the US, but I don't know the details--that would be fascinating to learn! Blessings to you. :)

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  4. I didn't know the term "Ragged Schools." It's always fun to learn something new. I didn't discover Dickens as a reader (e.g., not because I had to read him for school LOL) until I was a teacher myself. I was monitor in the school library and grabbed a book off the shelf at random ... and wow. "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times." I was hooked.

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    1. Oh, A Tale of Two Cities is my favorite Dickens novel! I'm currently reading it a fourth time, as I prepare to teach it this fall for the second time around. I read it for high school myself, and then once just completely on my own because I wanted to. :) But I'm delighting in it all over again--such a good story! And yes, a wonderful opening line...I may have my students do a writing assignment just inspired by that intro. :) Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing, Stephanie--blessings!

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