Introduction
Time on earth has been divided into various periods and eras, and so has been the case of literature. Believe it or not, these eras are significant in their own way and are characteristic of various trends in traditions, cultures, beliefs, practices and life patterns followed by the inhabitants of that era. The quality of life has thus been evaluated by the era one lived in. Anglo-saxon era, Georgian Era, Napoleonic Era, Victorian Era, Romantic Era, Progressive Era, Modern Era are a few of the eras in earth’s history. Of these eras of literature and its historical backgrounds, the era of Romantic age, Victorian age, and Modern age plays a pivotal role in our life and cultural transformation. And, there are vast differences between the lives of people in the Romantic, Victorian and Modern Era. Here are details of each era:
Body
Romantic Era - The Romantic Era which succeeded the Classical Era was a period of ultimate transformation in history. Unlike Classical Era which followed strict laws, the it saw the rise of freedom on various fronts. Arts, literature and creativity were seen in new light, and new trends were encouraged and followed. Music and melody became more expressive. Literary works were established in new tones portraying better and clearer pictures of society, arts, relationships and life, in general.
Victorian Era - Victorian Era was characterized after the reign of Queen Victoria, and is one of the most established eras in history. This period saw the rise of famous poets and writers of all times. Some of towering literary personalities are Lord Alfred Tennyson, Elizabeth Browning, Anthony Trollope, Charles Dickens, and many more who took literature to successful heights with their significant contributions. Because of this reason, the Victorian Era is also known as the Literature Era.
Modern Era – Generally, the period after 1910 to 1964 is termed as the Modern Era. This era is also termed as the age of individualism, social and political movements, and evolution of Technology & Information science. Contrasting changes in lifestyle has been witnessed by this era due to heavy modernization of patterns and socio-political activities. Modern artists and experts in various fields have given birth to some of the most interesting works of all times. While paintings were given life by Pablo Picasso, music was taken to new heights by musicians like Philip Glass. On the other hands, writers such as James Joyce, Virginia Woolf, Walt Whitman, and T.S. Elliot created a revolution in the field of literature by introducing expressive and free-verse writing.
Conclusion
As one might infer through basic study and analysis of the topic that the romantic, Victorian and modern eras have contributed significantly to the various forms of art and literature. The transformations brought about during these periods have highly influenced life since ages by changing human perception and behaivour. What once used to be restricted was gradually brought in public and accepted as something beautiful and better than the ordinary. Arts, Music and Literature were greatly contributed to and even today are referred as unparalled works of their times. Today and in times to come, there shall never be a comparison to the works perfected by the great scholarly artists and that gives us something to cherish and learn from their contributions. It is believed that these three ages of literature have impacted our life influentially through transformation, empowerment, and redefinition of our views and opinions.
Works Cited
- Rahn, Josh . The Literature Network. Literary: Romanticism. Jalic Inc. Retrieved from http://www.online-literature.com/periods/romanticism.php.
- Pendiented migracion. The Victorian Age. Retrieved from http://pendientedemigracion.ucm.es/info/siim/descargas/16.TheVictorianAge_TheIndustrialRevolution.pdf
- Levenson, Michael. A Genealogy of Modernism: A Study of English Literary Doctrine, 1908-1922.
