The Victorian Novel: Grounds and Backgrounds

The identity and the cultural products of the Victorian Age were molded by a determining historical, social and intellectual context. The trends, tendencies, and developments in these areas are highly mirrored in the literary themes, genres and styles of the time. The evolution of the industry that led to economic growth, the rise of the great metropolis and the dramatic increase in population, the technological developments that created new means of communication and travel, the colonial expansions and commerce with the wider world, all created a strong, influential background for a new type of literature that flourished during the Victorian age: the Victorian novel.