Week Eight: Sensation and Collaborative

Sensation writing is something that was completely new to me. I was not aware that this kind of writing evolved during the Victorian Age. I assumed it was more Modern Literature. The great thing about "The haunted house" was set up like Canterbury Tales which is honestly one of my favorites. The difference is that it is written by three authors. The three authors are Charles Dickens, Willkie Collins and Mrs. Gaskell. All of these people sat around to see who can tell the best ghost story. This form of writing hasn't been used in a long time. It is definitely a more popular form of writing today.

The stories we were assigned was "The Ghost in the Cupboard Room," "The Ghost in Master B'S Room," and "The Ghost in the Garden Room." I truly believed that only two stories were good. I like them all because they get straight to the point except for one. Nothing is really dragged out. The suspense is build based off the straight to the point details. For example "The Ghost in Master B's Room," is interesting because from the very beginning because the narrator states, "Sp, from the first, I was haunted by the letter B." This is a very interesting theory. The Haunted House and the letter B. How suspenseful is that. Then the second story I liked was "The Ghost in The Cupboard Room." I like this one because in the very beginning the main character states he was haunted by "The Judge." I love ghost stories that right away tell you what the problem is and how does it worsen.

Week Seven: London Labor Writers

London at this time is depicted as a very judgmental culture. Everyone had a class and you either fit in that class or you don't. Everything was broken up into a classification.

A. The lowest class. (Loafers, semi-criminals, and laborers)

B. Casual earnings. (Very poor)

C. Intermittent Earnings (the poor)

D. Small Regular Earnings (the poor)

E. Regular Standard Earnings (Above the poverty line)

F. Higher Class Laborers

G. Lower Middle Class

H. Higher Middle Class

This is the way the London classified the people who were rich. It's a shame that a society could even sit there and make up such a horrifying list. At the end of the day in London if you aren't rich you're simple a nobody. The higher class laborers were respected but only because they earned their own money. The higher middle class were respected because they had servants. Who were the servants??? The casual earning people the Class B people were the servants.

Annie Besant talks of white slavery in London. For American someone saying white slavery is nonexistent but for London it was very common during this time. Girls were working 14 hour days just to get some food in and bellies and practically for nothing. According to Ada Neild Chew she writes this piece requesting space in the paper so that she can complain about how horrible they are treated. Chew believes that they were slaves to the newspaper factory not getting paid enough and definitely not eating. She feels the workers are the reason that the paper is produced and successful. The people in the factory make the bosses that money and do not get a chance to see any of the profits.

Week Six: Science Writers

Science became a big topic of literature during the Victorian Age. Shelley definitely introduces the idea of science and creation but the Victorians took that idea and thoroughly studied it. The most know science writer's of the time did a lot of traveling and were very credible sources. Darwin came up with many logical theories. His theories are still discussed today. Science became part of this culture. Curiosity was what drove these philosophers and writers to study abroad and explore the creation outside of the human world.

Huxley opens up one of his pieces making a very powerful statement. He states, "Let us suppose that knowledge is absolute, and not relative..." In other words these Victorians knew a lot but he wanted to step away from knowledge and see things for what they really were. Humans are incompetent and things out in nature are smarter then we give them credit for. Animals for example are not just something we look down upon anymore. In fact we are as primitive as animal because we are ignorant to thing we can’t find in a book. This is a powerful gesture coming from Huxley and definitely an insult to the Victorian people.

Darwin on the other hand was interested in stepping out of this box. He was not interested in being ignorant in life. He wanted to learn more and understand ore of the things that were quite like him. In his piece "The Origin of Species" he goes into great detail explaining the importance of each organism and how each one survives off one another. The flowers can't survive without insect sucking away at their pollen. He speaks of the struggle of existence. Already these Victorian understand what endangered species are. Today we have the Eagle, the Brown Pelican, White Tigers, etc. Just about two years ago the Panda Bear was taken off the list. A struggle of existence was noticed in the Victorian Age and is still a struggle today.

Week Five: Major Women Writers

Browning is a very influential and powerful writer. She is bold in her statements about society and women. She in my opinion is a victorian women activist. She refused to live up to the expectations of what women were stereotyped to be like. She knew her place as a woman but she wanted to add her own flavor into her life. In "Aurora Leigh" she objectifies the female.Throughout the poem, Aurora both denies and accepts these different aspects of womanhood in herself.


Rossetti is making an incredibly strong statement here. She was a religious Anglican, and in this poem, she portrays Lizzie as a Christ figure, and Laura as Eve, whom it was thought to be the reason for sin in the world. She is taking a very radical stance with the sinful nature of this poem, and says that females have strong appetites but must learn to not give into temptation. The bonds between the sisters are also a strong statement for Victorian times, as men are thought to have had to do everything for women. Rossetti demonstrates her stance against this "chivalry" by barely mentioning male roles in the poem. Rosetti represents religion in her writing but Shelley on the other hand goes against it.


In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein she has her main character obsessed with science. As we may all agree science and God doesn't mix well. Shelley takes it to a whole new level. The main character Frankenstein creates a creature. The creature comes alive and ends up killing alot of important people in Victor's (creator) life. Although Frankenstein is one of the first known science fiction peices it alot alot lot more deeper then monsters and murderer. I revolving theme in this novel is loneliness, rejection, and a sense of belonging. Obsession, selfishness, and taking responsibility is another group of themes that mold this novel. The main plot is just the story the base for all of the themes mentioned above.

Week Three: Second Generation Romantics

Canto three was very difficult to read but from reading it a few times and reading some summaries I have learned that the first 5 stanzas are about love. Apparently love is incompatible.  The speaker expresses this in the form of a simile and states, "Marriage from love, like vinegar to wine." (Line 37) It's interesting because according to Frank Sinatra "love and marriage goes together like a horse and carriage." You really can’t separate the two it's obvious that the speaker has been scarred for life. The perspective of love in its negative form is what I found most interesting in this Canto.

John Keats is one of my personal favorite writers. I really believe that he is the epitome of the Romantics. Although he is a late Romantic he definitely bought forth a major impact to romanticism. "An Ode to Grecian Urn," is a perfect example. He takes something as simple as an urn and glorifies it with a story. He speaks of its beauty as if he were speaking of a woman. He describes that urn as something greater then himself. He looks at every picture on the urn and talks about what their story could be.

In "Ode on Melancholy," he has much more of a sincere and subtle tone. He is less imaginative but once again the topic of the poem is Romantic. He talks about melancholy and how to deal with it. He suggest when feeling sad you should relate to natural and appreciate it. Turning to nature is his answer to solve sadness. You should not drown in your own sorrow because it's stupid. He is very aggressive and forthcoming in this poem.

This is actually one of his only ode's not written in first person.

"Ode to a Nightingale," is one of Keats most known poem. He is very descriptive in this poem. He is drunken and tired and this nightingale in a way is annoying the hell out of him. He doesn’t envy the nightingale happiness but the noise it brings forth is appalling. He kind of attacks the presence of the nightingale with thoughts. He states, "What thou among the leaves hast never known, the weariness, the fever, the fret" (Lines 22-23) He says the bird knows nothing of human troubles and if he did he wouldn't sing so gay. Talk about being miserable.

Week Four: Major Victorian Poets

Tennyson is an interesting writer because he steps back to the classics. He tells stories of knights, heroes, and legends. In the poem "Lady of Shalott," he expresses these themes in full detail. These kinds of stories always seem to catch the attention of the readers. This writer revisits tales of the past. King Arthur and Sir Lancelot are well known tale which never get old. The typical story line always keeps readers coming back. Lady of Shalott is stuck somewhere on the island of Shalott. Shalott is located down the river from Camelot. Sir Lancelot the young handsome knight is sent to save her. This poem although tell a story is much deeper than it seems. It is the struggle between life and art. The moment the lady of Shalott sets her eyes on Sir Lancelot she abandons her artistry and skills. She is nothing but a "dead-pale" (Lines 157) beauty.


The poem "Ulysses" has an epic heroic tone also but in a more narcissist manner. It tells the story of a traveler who is sick of being home and finds it boring. He travels the world and thinks himself the greatest thing that has walked the face of this earth. He is very egotistical and conceited. He is also very ambitious and eager to learn more of the world outside of his land. In old age he encourages the mariners to be aggressive and never to give up. Old age comes but they are still alive. He ends the poem stating, “To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.” (Line 70)

Week Two: Quintessential Romantics

Wordsworth is such an amazing writer. His tactics to describe everyday thing is such an eccentric way is amazing. He takes simples things and glorifies them. This is one of the main characteristic of Romantic/nature writers. "We Were Seven," is such an emotional poem. He introduces and describes this beautiful little girl and this child has such a story to tell. It kind of reminds me of Blake’s "The Chimney Sweeper." The little girl speaks of her brothers and sister but mention two that are gone. She says, "Two of us in the church-yard lie." (Line 21) The way Wordsworth worded it is so sad. It touches your heart. This little girl has a constant reminder in her backyard that once they were seven. She plays around her sister and brother graves. This is most definitely traumatizing for a child. How can a child experience so much pain? During this time no one really cared what a child was thinking. The speaker took the time out to ask, then, realized that this little girl has experienced more pain than most.

In "The Lime Tree Bower," Coleridge introduces us to a great power of imagination. Using imagination in this way is both empowering and surprising because it encourages a total and complete lack of respect for the boundaries of time and place. These mental and emotional jumps are often very interesting. This poem is Coleridge’s most famous use of imagination. The speaker in the poem displays an intense poetic mind frame. This   allows the speaker to take part in a journey that he cannot physically make. When he “returns” to the bower, after having imagined himself on a fantastic stroll through the countryside, the speaker discovers, as a reward, plenty of things to enjoy from inside the bower itself, including the leaves, the trees, and the shadows. The power of imagination transforms the prison into a perfectly pleasant spot.

Coleridge is a very eccentric writer. Most of his poems are very descriptive and the speaker seems to usually be in a nostalgic state of mind. In “Rime of the Ancient Mariner," the speaker decides to kill an albatross. The albatross is a respected bird. He then is cursed. The speaker runs into some wedding guests and tells his story. His curse is to tell the story over and over in order to never forget. The imagery in the poem is amazing. He goes into detail about the sky, the horizon, and the weather. He describes the serpents in the water in great detail which allows the reader to picture what is going on. The dead people all around the speaker are terrifying. The description of the horror the speaker experienced on the ship, kind of reminded me of the movie "Ghost Ship" and "Snakes on a Plane." This is definitely what the story would be if those two movies came together.