What Are The Contradictions In The Victorian Era

1795 Words8 Pages

Victorian Britain and the Contradictions that Charles Dickens Portrayed

Charles Dickens’s Oliver Twist was published in 1837 during the Victorian Era. The book was written during a time of great advancements in medicine, technology, and science. These new technologies along with the British imperial expansion led to a skyrocket in population and wealth. The increase of people and wealth made Britain 's poor even poorer, and resulted in distasteful practices that led to the Victorian Era being known as a time of contradictions. Charles Dickens’s life and Oliver Twist symbolize the contradictions that were prevalent during the Victorian Era.
The Victorian Era was the time period during Queen Victoria’s reign. The period lasted from 1837 until …show more content…

James Clerk Maxwell, a Scottish physicist, created equations that merged all previous knowledge concerning electromagnetism, and then later discovered that the electromagnetism took the form of a wave. Charles Darwin’s theory of natural selection became popular during the time period. Medicine had also advanced during the Victorian Era. One huge advancement was the development of the first antiseptic. Joseph Lister developed the first antiseptic to combat the new theory that germs cause illness and infection. The Victorian Era also saw an influx of new technologies and inventions. The pedal driven bicycle and the iconic penny-farthing bicycle were both invented in the Victorian Era. Robert Thompson invented the first pneumatic pressurized tire in 1845. Henry Bessemer developed a way to turn iron into steel in 1854. This revolutionized the ability to build larger and stronger structures. Britain was expanding and spreading its empirical power throughout the world. Britain was then led to a time of prosperity and wealth. Wealthier citizens would dress in a manner that displayed vibrant colors as stated in “Art in the Age of Queen