An analysis of three Victorian novels within the context of cultural theory

Abstract

This study offers an in-depth analysis of four socio-cultural themes in three Victorian novels using cultural theory as a reading matrix in order to provide a clearer understanding of the fictional representation of dominant socio-cultural changes that occurred during the mid-nineteenth century. The analysis will primarily comprise detailed discussions of themes related to cultural issues portrayed in these three Victorian texts, and will compare the novels' presentations of these themes. The three novels are Anne Brontë's The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (1848), Charlotte Brontë's Shirley (1849), and George Eliot's Romola (1863). These three particular texts are similar primarily because they were written by women who strove to make their voices heard in a predominating patriarchal society. The themes to be discussed are society, history, religion and gender. Contemporary reviews and reactions are also taken into consideration