ENGL-80B-22538
Discussion 6: Carlyle, Mill, and the Victorian Era
Intructions:
This week we are beginning to discuss the Victorian period. The major goal for this week is for us to begin to understand what the Victorian period is; it's more than just the time Victoria ruled Britain, though it's certainly that. There were concerns and ideals that characterized the period, just as there were during the Romantic era. Also, it's important to note, that there aren't clean lines: early (and even late) Victorians were influenced by the Romantic era. The first "modern" novel (Heart of Darkness) was written in what is technically considered the Victorian age. However, I think that to start understanding the Victorians, Carlyle and Mill are a great place to start. Have a look again at that list of features that characterize the Victorian age. Then, I'd like you to find two quotes, one from Carlyle and one from Mill that speak to once of the Victorian preoccupations. For example, Carlyle has a good deal to say about work. Mill has a lot to say about morality. In your own post share each of these quotes and explain what Victorian concern you feel the writer is addressing.
Sample answer:
During the Victorian era, Thomas Carlyle wrote that 'There is always hope in a man that actually and earnestly works. In idleness alone is there perpetual despair". The quote was presented in evocative language to provide a reader with a vivid sense of the tumultuous times and the aspirations of the Chartists during the time Victoria ruled Britain. The writer explored the origins and development of the Chartists' movement by highlighting the social-economic conditions that fueled discontent among the working class. Therefore, the quote aims to address the Victorian concern of focusing on reigning instead of ruling the people by examining the nature of the appeals that the movement's leaders made and the response of the ruling monarch. Similarly, John Stuart Mill said, "The peculiar evil of silencing the expression of an opinion is that it is robbing the human race; posterity as well as the existing generation; those who dissent from the opinion, still more than those who hold it." He believed that social awareness, philosophy and economic theory and philosophy should play a role in shaping public policies and politics.
Part B: Please thoughtfully respond to at least three of your classmates. Do you agree with their assessments? Do you see anything else about the quotes that they've chosen that points to how it is Victorian in nature? Do you think the quote(s) applies(y) today? How? (One thing I note both in the lecture and the journal for this week is how much overlap there is between the Victorian era and our own.)
sample answer:
Christ. Carlyle's expression of growing lukewarmness could also represent a hesitancy towards conforming blindly to these expectations. For John Mill, his quote, “Suppose that all your objects in life were realized; that all the changes in institutions and opinions which you are looking forward to, could be completely effected at this very instant: would this be a great joy and happiness to you?” And an irrepressible self-consciousness distinctly answered, “No!” […] I seemed to have nothing left to live for.” (Autobiography, I: 139), referring to his ‘mental illness’ is representative of the focus on self-definition within the Victorian society. Mill's openness about his mental illness serves as a significant reminder of the complexities/ contradictions of the Victorian era and how being overworked can take a mental toll as well as the overall attitude society had towards mental during that time.
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