Romanticism

As an avid lover of 19th century literature, I had a very good idea of what I wanted to do with this unit. Using a thread of clear social commentary within many of the books, I knew what I wanted to accomplish. I did, however, encounter an unexpected difficulty. The nature of my theme requires me to strip my perception of a romanticized Victorian utopia and discover the imperfect reality of the time period. This is turning into a major challenge for me because, I have found it hard to relinquish my personal prejudices about the era.

When thinking about the characters of books like Pride and Prejudice or Vanity Fair it can be hard to look past the twirling ball gowns and see the true societal issues that drive conflict in the stories. In my mind I don't want to see Charlotte Lucas as a stereotype for 'traditional' values or economically motivated women. I simply want her to be the unlucky girl that married a very stupid man. Completing these activities make me separate my own feelings about characters and situations from their intended purposes. In this way, my activities are forcing me to view the work of the time period in a very different way.

This change, while very vexing, is helping me in my exploration of literature. It is helping me uncover some of the blaring double-standards of the time period and understand much of the hypocrisy of 19th century England. Social, political and economic changes fueled massive changes in English culture and in many ways redefined what it meant to be British.  Once I can overcome my difficulty reconciling the imperfections of my dear Victorian predecessors, I am sure that I will be able to fully complete my task of unpacking the commentary of the time to present a clear understanding of the 19th century.