During the Napoleonic Wars the British Empire grew bigger because of the colonial expansion. Great Britain gained over twenty new territories and the strategic Island of Malta in the Mediterranean. By this time about 26 percent of the world's population lived in territories controlled by Britain. The British used all its' colonies to enhance their financial powers as well as their productivity, they needed a strong finance in order to hire troops from the other nations in Europe, in order to have a chance against the French, who heavily outnumbered the English.

Questions:

1. What were the British intetions with the colonies?

2. Who was Britain's worst enemy? And why?

The changing face of Britain:

A larger British empire meant changes. A new era started - The Victorian Age. This age was named after Queen Victoria. This period the aristocracy, businessmen and the industrialists had to contend the power and the bourgeoisie made values as work ethic, independence, economic rationality to the fundamental values and things as sexual insists were repressed. Overall this period also meant a higher life quality for the huge number of factory workers. The British children of this period were the first to have wide access to education.

Questions:

1. Who contend the power during the Victorian age?

2. What are the values? And what did people look down on?

3. How was the life quality for the lower classes and their children?

The war between Britain and France lasted for more than 20 years(1793-1815). France and Britain fought for the domain of various traderoutes, especially near the Mediterranean Sea. Various battles were fought between France and Britain. Britain won decisive battles, such as The Battle of the Nile(1798), The Battle of Trafalgar(1805) and the terminal Battle of Waterloo(1815). A quarter of the male population joined the war at some point.

Questions:

1. For how long did the war last?

2. Why did the war begin?

3. When did the terminal battle take place?

Ireland

In 1798 a group of Irish rebels, United Irishmen, rebelled against the politic from Westminister, they wanted more independence for Ireland. The revolt was suppressed and an atempt to deploy French troops in Ireland failed. To prevent other cases, as such, Britain passed the Act of Union(1801), making Ireland a part of the United Kingdom.

Questions:

1. What is the name of the rebels, who fought for independence?

2. What failed when the rebellion was suppressed?

3. When did Ireland become a part of the United Kingdom?

Eleven people were killed by the army during the protest and the event i known as the Peterloo massacre.

In 1817 Coercion Act was passed. The act banned all public meetings and the Peterloo Massacre is an example of the governments policy of destroying protest by force.

Eventually the government realised that they needed to change in order to keep pace with the economic progress and because of that they introduced various reforms.

In 1825 Trade Unions were recognised.

In 1829 a police force was introduced and non- protestants were allowed to have state jobs.

In 1832 businessmen and industrialists were given a vote

In 1833 the working hours were limited and children under 9 were not allowed to work anymore.

A taxation system was introduced and it helped to pay for new social services.

In 1834 a national primary education system was introduced.

Sewerage systems were built and streets were lit up it resulted in an increase in health and a decrease in crime.

These reforms did not change te British society at once. Over time they had a huge impact in the creation of a more democratic and religiously tolerant society. They created better working and living conditions.

1. Who inspired the British social Revolution?

2. How many people attended the rally near Manchester in 1819 and what did they protest about?

3. What is the Peterloo massacre?

4. What is the Coercion Act?

5. What were the changes that occurede from 1825-1834 and how did these changes affect the British society?

1. What characterizes the subgenre "the historical novel"?

2. What characterizes the subgenre "the Gothic novels"?

3. What characterizes the subgenre "The novel of manners"

The agricultural and industrial revolutions and the overall European revolutions came to fast in this period and the over rumbled the society which sometimes had a tough time keeping up. In the industrial society the working conditions were appalling and rustic and the lower classes was often viewed as working forces dehumanising them. The romantic movement looked back at the rural society and idealised the medieval rural society. The romantics took distance from the industrial society, they were essential conservatives

The Romantic period started in 1798. A new cultural sensibility could be seen in the end of the eighteenth century among the literature. For example it can be seen in Wordsworth’s Lyrical Ballads, which he published same year together with Coleridge. The interest among romantic literature was the sentimental, melancholic, natural and nostalgic approach to life and humans. For example the poet Robert Burns wrote about the rural life in Scotland, his fascination was nature and simplicity.

In England, the greatest expression of Romanticism was found in the poetry of William Wordsworth, William Blake and many other poets. These certain poets were highly individual and did not consider themselves as a part of a movement, but their work had essentially the same qualities, which were later defined as “romantic”. The poet was a visionary, who could find deeper meanings in the inner worlds, which were created by his mind. The poet uses his imagination to explore the unfamiliar. The romantic poems were considered to be morally uplifting because it is believed that all human beings have a deep relationship with the natural world. The poets believed that it was more important to learn about nature rather than scholarly learning. 

1.  Why were the Romantic poets highly individualistic?

2.  Which tendencies were dominating in the romantic literature? 

3.  What was the background for the romantic movement?

The poets of the romanticism are most commonly divided into two generations and the first consist of William Blake, William Wordworth and  Samuel Taylor Coleridge and it was these poets and thinkers that made the foundations for the romantic period and its poetry.

William Blake spent his life in rebellion against the rationalist philosophy influenced by the government and the church. He saw potential dangers of a mass society in which individuals became dehumanized. A characteristic feature of Blake’s poetry is to see the world in terms of opposites . Blake relied heavily on symbolism. Some easy to interpret and some have been a subject of much debate.  It was not until after his death that William Blake was really recognized as a poetic genius.

William Wordworth was one of the men behind the book The Lyrical Ballads which were a landmark in english literature. This was the beginning of a new era dealing with much simpler themes and subjects. His poetry is a celebration of nature and childhood experience. He theories about poetry was introduced in the book. The following theories are just a few of them; - The language of the poetry should be simple language, “a language used by man”. - The subject of poetry should consist of incidents and situation from common life. - The poet is a man speaking to men. He uses his special gift to show other men the essence of things.

Samuel Taylor Coleridge is the second author of The Lyrical Ballads. Coleridge wanted to give the supernatural a colouring of everyday reality.  

The part concerning >>The Romantic Fiction<< mentions three different genres: the historical novel, the Gothic novel and the novel of manners.

It is the general opinion that Sir Walter Scott was the one who invented The historical novel. In many of his works, he re-used classical figures such as Ivanhoe, and stepped back in time, to when the times were more dramatic and passionate. Back in these days, he would draw an image upon the political and social situation in question. Scott’s two romantic characteristics are the descriptions of nature and the lives of the ordinary people. The demand for the historical novel never faded.

The Gothic novel had its origin in the second half of the eighteenth century and lasted throughout the Romantic period. The main characteristics of The Gothic novel are the supernatural, macabre and the fantastic. This was the novel for the ones interested in dark graveyard like settings and unfettered imagination.

Being one of the greatest writers of her time, Jane Austen invented a subgenre of her own: The novel of manners. This novel has its focus on the characterisations and plots, leaving the social, political and historical contexts up to the historical novel. Austen would write about the psychological situation of a young female rather than the romantic sentimentalism and imagination. By making strong and self-sufficient characters, Austen led to Romantic individualism.

Britain 1776-1837

Continuity and change:George III was king of Great Britain and Ireland from 1760 to 1820. In this period there was an economically and politically development. The French and Industrial Revolutions pressured the stability of British society however the judicious reform prevented a social revolution. 

British society:Britain was a dynamic country in the nineteenth century. From 1770 to 1821 the population in the country increased from 8.3 million people to 14.2 million. The society was divided in three social classes:

The landowners and aristocracy:They were from the upper class and held most of the wealth. They were the only ones with the right to vote and they dominated all the professions.