A dominant motif in British literature studies of the late 18th and early 19th century is that of the crisis of doubt, or faith, during the Victorian era. A sense of crisis permeated every facet of Victorian society as Charles Darwin’s text The Origin of Species, based on empirical study, called into question the Christian beliefs and values of the Victorian public. Much of Europe’s middle classes began to doubt the book of Genesis was a reliable source in accordance of how the universe was made, and struggled to reconcile past ideas and beliefs with progress and modernity, giving way to new intellectuals and free thinkers. The Victorian Era was known as an age of invention, prosperity and economic growth; branching to industrial expansion, invigorated reform in politics and social class status which all informed and influenced literature of the time. …show more content…
As society progressed art and literature explored the tensions between old world faith and the new age of reason; i.e. painting of The Bell jar for instant shows how the bird being suffocated represents the holy spirit in its ancient alter pieces and suggests therefore God is being squashed by science.. Emphasis fell on industrialisation; bigger machinery and efficiency in production and therefore caused the working class to work harder and longer. These factors helped kept all but the higher classes out of church and pushed the poorer further from religion in despair of poverty and reinforcing spiritual doubt. The revolution of science and industry threatened old social order and threatened moral