VICTORIAN PROSE WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO JOHN RUSKIN, THOMAS CARLYLE, MATTHEW ARNOLD AND NEWMAN

Influential Figures in Victorian Prose: Ruskin, Carlyle, Arnold, and Newman

The Diversity and Intellectual Passion of Victorian Prose

Victorian prose, though chronologically coterminous with and sometimes even overlapping the era of Romantic prose, marks a distinct break both thematically and stylistically. The change is less of a conscious purpose than of the difference in temperament and intellectual interests. The familiar essay, with its highly personal, often whimsical flaunting of the writer's tastes, prejudices, and idiosyncrasies—the hallmark of the Romantic—gave way to a distinctively Victorian willingness to engage in moral and intellectual debate.

Victorian prose, a literary style prominent during the reign of Queen Victoria in the 19th century, encompassed a wide range of writers and themes. Four notable figures within Victorian prose are John Ruskin, Thomas Carlyle, Matthew Arnold, and Newman. Each of these writers made significant contributions to Victorian literature, reflecting the era's social, cultural, and intellectual concerns.

Yet this Victorian prose, whose chronological period extended from the accession of Queen Victoria in 1837 to the turn of the century, should not be hastily dismissed as a period characterized solely by doubt, darkness, and revitalization, solely due to its relative impersonality. Not only was it a period of 'god's plenty,' but also one of astonishing diversity and remarkable intellectual passion. David Daiches astutely remarks, 'Carlyle and Mill represented, in some degree, the extremes between which Victorian thought moved, the former transcendental, idiosyncratic, authoritarian, the latter empirical, reasonable, democratic.'

Victorian prose encompassed such diverse works as the critical writings of Ruskin and Arnold, the social and historical writings of Carlyle and Macaulay, the religious writings of Newman and Keble, and the philosophical essays of Mill and Spencer.

Key Features of Victorian Prose

Victorian prose, a hallmark of the 19th-century literary era, bears distinctive features that reflect the social and intellectual climate of the time. It encompasses a broad spectrum of styles, from the vivid and passionate descriptions of John Ruskin to the complex and thought-provoking writings of Thomas Carlyle, Matthew Arnold, and Newman. Victorian prose explores themes such as morality, social progress, cultural heritage, and the interplay between religion and society. We will bullet points the features first , then carry out the individual discussions. 

👉Moral and intellectual engagement: Victorian prose often delved into moral and intellectual debates, addressing social, cultural, and philosophical issues of the era.

👉Social criticism: Victorian prose frequently incorporated social criticism, reflecting concerns about industrialization, urbanization, class divisions, and societal norms.

👉Realism and detailed descriptions: Victorian prose emphasized realism, employing vivid and detailed descriptions to depict settings, characters, and events.

👉Clarity and precision: Victorian prose aimed for clarity and precision in expression, employing well-crafted sentences and coherent arguments.

👉Expansion of subject matter: Victorian prose expanded the range of subjects explored, encompassing art, literature, religion, science, politics, and social issues.

👉Formal and structured language: Victorian prose often utilized a formal and structured language, adhering to established grammatical rules and conventions.

👉Reflective and didactic tone: Victorian prose had a reflective and didactic tone, seeking to educate and enlighten readers while imparting moral lessons or societal insights.

👉Balance of intellect and emotion: Victorian prose sought a balance between intellectual analysis and emotional engagement, aiming to appeal to both reason and sentiment.

👉Engagement with the past: Victorian prose frequently engaged with historical themes, reflecting a fascination with the past and its influence on the present.

👉Engagement with faith and spirituality: Victorian prose often explored religious and spiritual themes, grappling with questions of faith, belief, and the role of religion in society.

The Evolution of John Ruskin: Art Critic to Economist and Reformer

John Ruskin (1819 – 1900) began his career as an aestheticism and historian of art but later transformed into an economist and reformer. However, this transition did not disrupt the continuity of his intellectual journey, as the evolution from his initial dominant interest to his subsequent pursuits remained consistent.

John Ruskin

Ruskin, an influential art critic and social thinker, is renowned for his works on aesthetics, architecture, and society. His prose style is characterized by its vivid imagery, detailed descriptions, and passionate language. Combining art criticism with social commentary, Ruskin explored the interplay between beauty, morality, and societal progress. In his notable works, such as "The Stones of Venice" and "Modern Painters," he emphasized the significance of craftsmanship, the preservation of cultural heritage, and the profound connection between art and the well-being of society.

In "Modern Painters" (1843), his treatise on aesthetics, Ruskin focused on the ideas conveyed by art. As a systematic writer, he formulated five categories of power: Imitation, Truth, Beauty, and Relation. He highlighted the role of religion as the foundation of aesthetics, expounding on the moral perception of beauty in contrast to mere sensuous experience. Ruskin, much like Carlyle, emphasized that the visible universe is the living garment of God, imparting a sense of reverence when contemplating Beauty, through which the attributes of God are revealed.

"The Seven Lamps of Architecture" served as Ruskin's subsequent book, exploring the influence of moral sentiments as the driving force behind the creation of exceptional architecture. He posited that good architecture had been produced through the magical powers of moral feeling. "The Stones of Venice" delved into the theme of the flourishing of Byzantine and Gothic architecture, followed by a decline in morals, life, and art. The central chapter on "The Nature of Gothic" became the cornerstone of the new aesthetic school, and other well-known chapters focused on the "grand style" and the "pathetic fallacy."

In 1860, Ruskin published "Unto This Last," which he later described as his truest, rightest, and most serviceable book. This collection of papers delved into political economy. Rejecting the classical school of mercantile economics, Ruskin, influenced by Carlyle, challenged the concept of "economic man" by emphasizing the social and moral aspects of human nature. While advocating for opportunities for self-development, Ruskin argued that the government should regulate and limit freedom of competition. "Unto This Last" had a significant impact on the later decades of the century, reflecting Ruskin's burning sense of injustice and his militancy regarding social consequences.

Ruskin's prose style is characterized by its diversity. "Modern Painters" is celebrated for its descriptive passages with glorious colorings and elaborate cadence, combined with meticulous fidelity in verbal renderings of paintings and natural scenery.

Thomas Carlyle: A Prophet of Transcendent Philosophy in Victorian Prose

Thomas Carlyle 

Thomas Carlyle (1795 – 1881) was, in temperament, manner, and in the sensibility of his convictions, more closely akin to the Hebrew prophets than to any counselor of his own era. Thomas Carlyle, a historian and essayist, employed a distinctive and often challenging prose style that mirrored his idiosyncratic worldview. Carlyle's writing combined historical analysis with moral philosophy and criticism of industrial society. His work, "Sartor Resartus," is an unconventional fictional autobiography that critiques societal norms and champions spiritual renewal. Carlyle's prose is marked by its complexity, including extensive use of metaphor and unconventional syntax, reflecting his desire to provoke and challenge readers' perceptions. His concern in all his prose writings was to rescue society from materialism, greed, irresponsibility, uncontrolled competition, and industrial chaos. The value of history, in his estimation, lay in the lessons of the past that are applicable to the present. He believed that a right interpretation of the present through the past would shed a beam of light into the darkness of the future. Thus, he combined the functions of historian, social reformer, and prophet, basing them upon a transcendental metaphysics. Dissatisfied, like his fellow Romantics, with the science of Newton, the epistemology of Locke, the skepticism of Hume, and the ethics of utilitarianism, he turned to his own intuitions. His individual philosophy found substance in German romantic philosophy. "Sartor Resartus" is the most eloquent and elaborate statement of Carlyle's transcendent philosophy. This essay on the 'clothes philosophy' enunciates that language is the clothing of thought, the body the vestment of the soul, and the entire universe the 'Living garment of God,' woven upon the roaring loom of Time. Although these ideas were not unfamiliar, the fantastic style in which they were conveyed - the Germanic locutions, the vast range of allusions, the bold colloquialisms, the rhetorical flights, the juxtaposition of the ridiculous and the sublime - bewildered the English public.

His "Heroes and Hero Worship" (1841) delves into historical personalities and treats the hero as a 'divinity,' akin to the gods of verse mythology. History, in his famous phrase, 'is the essence of innumerable biographies.' The Hebrew concept of the divinely appointed Messiah, the Platonic concept of the philosopher-king, and the Plutarchian concept of the law-giver were all combined with Carlyle's own individual concept of genius. The hero is distinguished from the common theory by his awareness of the divine Idea of the world. Such a hero may be a man of action or thought - a god, prophet, priest, poet, king, or man of letters. Carlyle's list includes Mohammed the prophet, the poets Dante and Shakespeare, the priests Luther and Knox, the men of letters such as Johnson, Rousseau, and Burns, and the 'Kings' Cromwell and Napoleon. Carlyle's literary essays declare the critic's function to be the interpretation of the poet's revelation of the Divine Idea. His essay "Burns" focuses on the poet as revealing the Divine Idea through a form apprehensible to the senses. "Johnson" serves as the text of hero worship, and his "Goethe" work is a rhapsody on Goethe. Carlyle's "French Revolution" marks a wholly new method of writing history. He was less a scholar with rigorous facts than a moralist and an interpreter of human history and human destiny."

Diverse Voices in Victorian Prose: Religion, Science, and Philosophy

John Henry Newman 

There were brilliant essayists on religion such as Keble, Pusey, and Newman. John Henry Newman (1801 – 1890), the greatest of the essayists involved in the famous 'Oxford Movement,' wrote of the necessity of the Roman Catholic religion in the last few essays in the 'Tracts for the Times.' He spoke of the need for resisting the corrupt secularism which was threatening all spiritual values. His 'Apologia Pro Vita Sua' was designed to justify his conversion, and his 'Idea of a University' discusses intellectual culture as something desirable apart from religious and moral culture. His style was generally urbane and suave, though he was capable of brilliant rhetorical flourishes.

Victorian prose also included scientific writings such as those of Darwin and Huxley. Darwin became famous for essays on the origin of species by means of natural selection, in which he propounded the theory that in the competitive struggle for existence, creatures possessing advantageous mutations would be favored. The 'fittest would survive.' In contrast to Darwin, T.H. Huxley possessed gifts of style that could popularize complex concepts through lucid and readily intelligible presentation, as seen in 'On a Piece of Chalk.' His 'Man's Place in Nature' applies Darwin's theory explicitly to 'the Human Animal.' However, he also made the profound social observation that organisms can adapt themselves to the environment not by altering themselves but by modifying the environment.

Philosophical essays, particularly those of J.S. Mill and Herbert Spencer, too, fall within the gamut of literary essays. Although influenced by the utilitarian philosophy of Bentham, in his 'Utilitarianism,' Mill sets forth views that differ from Bentham's ethical hedonism by emphasizing the distinction between various kinds of pleasure. But Mill's lasting fame rests on the long essays on liberty in which he asserts that 'genius can only breathe freely in an atmosphere of freedom.' Spencer's 'Synthetic Philosophy' is an exact expression of Victorian liberalism. He attempts a reconciliation of science and religion through reverent contemplation of the unknowable and Absolute First Cause. His style is dry and technical, but always precise, sometimes fervent, and occasionally of lofty dignity.

Arnold's Impact on Victorian Prose: Themes and Styles

Perhaps no discussion of Victorian prose is complete without that of Arnold. If the spiritual void of modern life had been the theme of his poetry, in prose, his effort was to give shape to his 'aspiration towards a rugged and renewed human society.' The famous volume of "Essays in Criticism" represents a reaction against Romanticism and the earlier insular standards of literary wholeness, according to Arnold. In this sense, 'poetry as the criticism of life.' Poetry must assume the function of religion to bind life into a criticism. In Culture and Anarchy, he coined the terms 'Barbarians,' 'Philistines,' and 'Populace' for the three classes of society – the aristocracy, the middle class, and the lower classes. His other essays include 'God and the Bible,' 'Democracy,' and 'Literature and Science.' Thus, the thematic and stylistic range of Victorian prose extends from the poetic raptures of Carlyle to the scientific jargon of Darwin, and from the exquisite imaginative discourses of Ruskin to the precise political judgments of Mill.

Conclusion

Victorian prose stands as a testament to the diverse and dynamic literary landscape of the 19th century. Through the works of influential figures like John Ruskin, Thomas Carlyle, Matthew Arnold, and Newman, Victorian prose exemplified a range of styles, themes, and intellectual pursuits. It reflected the era's preoccupations with social progress, cultural heritage, morality, and the interplay between religion and society. The enduring legacy of Victorian prose continues to captivate readers, offering insights into the complexities and aspirations of a transformative era in literature.

Ardhendu De

Ref: 

1. ALBERT. (2000). History of English Literature (Fifth Edition) [English]. OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS.

2. The Literature Of The Victorian Era : Hugh Walker : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive. (n.d.). Internet Archive. https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.274246

3. A history of English literature : Compton-Rickett, Arthur, 1869-1937 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive. (n.d.). Internet Archive. https://archive.org/details/historyofenglish00comprich