Victorian Novel
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THE NOVEL OF VICTORIAN ORTHODOXY THE NOVEL OF INTELLECTUAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL EMPHASIS
Acceptance of middle class ethics and mores: "the good" characters conform to principles of bourgeois orthodoxy and are properly rewarded
Questioning of middle class ethics and morals: "the good" characters refuse to conform to principles of bourgeois orthodoxy. If they are punish for their nonconformity, they are not to blame, it is current society that is at fault.
Social orientation: the major human problem treated by the bourgeois novelists is the adjustment of the individual to his society. Individual orientation: The major human problem is the self realization of the individual. Worthy characters defy conventions and social pressures to realize the fullness of their own natures.
Emphasis upon characters: fascinating, rounded characters who resembled people their readers knew or would like to know. Most characters were middle class, in middle class settings with the typical middle class preoccupations. Their complexity wholly emotional. Lower class figures were subordinated, usually treated patronizingly. Upper class personages where viewed with a mixture of envy and scorn...