Ten Myths about the Victorians

By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)

Although not strictly confined to the literary sphere, the following ten ‘facts’ about the Victorians certainly touch upon literature many times, not least because our ideas about the Victorians are often misconceptions or misrepresentations which we’ve picked up from their literature. I am indebted to Matthew Sweet’s superb book Inventing the Victorians (2001) for a number of the debunkings which you’ll encounter below. If you’re interested in learning about who the Victorians really were, Sweet’s book is an excellent place to start.

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