Victorian Fiction

Victorian fiction comprises the novels and stories of Britain during Queen Victoria's reign, many first encountered by readers in serial form. Its varied narratives connect private ambitions and relationships with institutions, social rank, work, and inherited expectations. Dickens examines the treatment of vulnerable people, Charlotte Brontë gives force to inward conviction, and George Eliot follows the consequences of ordinary choices within a community. Humour, mystery, romance, and social observation often coexist within one work. The attention given to motives and consequences makes sympathy a demanding act of understanding rather than a simple expression of approval.