Victorian novelists
Victorian literature refers to English literature during the reign of Queen Victoria (1837–1901). The 19th century is considered by some to be the Golden Age of English Literature, especially for British novels.
7 episodes
Episodes in this category also belong to the following categories:
CultureHistoryFellows of the Royal SocietyEnglish male poetsWriters about activism and social changeAphoristsCritics of the Catholic ChurchEnglish male non-fiction writersBurials at Westminster AbbeyNobel laureates in LiteraturePantheistsBritish male essayistsEnglish AnglicansEnglish male dramatists and playwrightsEnglish male novelistsEnglish people of Scottish descent19th-century English poets19th-century atheistsEnglish male short story writersEnglish non-fiction writersLiteracy and society theorists19th-century English novelists19th-century pseudonymous writers20th-century English male writers20th-century English poetsAlumni of Trinity College DublinBurials at Père Lachaise CemeteryEnglish atheistsEnglish satiristsEnglish travel writersEpic poetsIrish male dramatists and playwrightsIrish male poetsVictorian poets19th-century English non-fiction writers19th-century English women writers20th-century English novelistsAnglican writersBritish critics of religionsConversationalistsEnglish Nobel laureatesEnglish short story writersEnglish socialistsEnglish women novelistsIrish expatriates in FranceMembers of the Order of MeritTrope theoristsWriters of Gothic fiction19th-century British philanthropists19th-century British short story writersAnglo-Irish artists, Irish fantasy writersArtist authorsBisexual male writersBisexual novelistsBritish Nobel laureatesEnglish abolitionistsEnglish fantasy writersEnglish libertariansEnglish philanthropistsEnglish writers with disabilitiesFellows of the Royal Society of LiteratureFeminism and historyIrish male novelistsLGBTQ Roman CatholicsLibertarian socialists19th-century Anglicans19th-century British economists19th-century English architects19th-century English dramatists and playwrights19th-century English essayists19th-century English philosophers19th-century Irish dramatists and playwrights, 19th-century Irish poets, Symbolist dramatists and playwrights19th-century travel writers20th-century English memoiristsAlumni of Magdalen College, OxfordArtists' Rifles soldiersBisexual poetsBritish social reformersBritish socialistsBritish women essayistsEnglish UnitariansEnglish historical novelistsEnglish suffragistsEnglish women philosophersEnglish-language poets from IndiaKnights of the GarterLecturersMythopoeic writersScholars of Trinity College DublinTranslators of HomerVictorian eraVictorian women writersWriters from Dublin (city)Writers from NorwichWriters from the London Borough of Camden19th-century British journalists19th-century English historians19th-century English politicians19th-century English short story writersAlumni of King's College LondonArts and Crafts movement artistsBisexual journalistsBritish atheism activistsBritish botanical illustratorsBritish male poetsBritish scientists with disabilitiesConverts to Roman Catholicism from AnglicanismDeaths from ulcersEnglish anti-fascistsEnglish biographersEnglish children's writersEnglish hymnwritersEnglish people of French descentEnglish printers, Translators of VirgilEnglish prisoners and detaineesEnglish reformersEnglish science fiction writersFin de siècleFreemasons of the United Grand Lodge of EnglandInfectious disease deaths in FranceIrish Freemasons, Irish libertarians, Irish people of English descentIrish writers in French, People educated at Portora Royal SchoolLGBTQ AnglicansLords Privy SealMaritime writersMembers of the Privy Council of the United KingdomPeople convicted for homosexuality in the United Kingdom, People who have received posthumous pardonsPeople educated at Marlborough CollegePeople from Somers Town, LondonPeople of the Victorian eraPositivistsRectors of the University of GlasgowRectors of the University of St AndrewsSocial Democratic Federation membersUK MPs 1865–1868
Benjamin Disraeli
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss one of the most famous politicians of the Victorian age, who broadened his fame and spread his ideas through popular novels.
19 September 2024
Featuring: Lawrence Goldman, Emily Jones, Daisy Hay
HistoryFellows of the Royal SocietyEnglish AnglicansVictorian eraVictorian novelists19th-century English novelists19th-century AnglicansEnglish male novelistsUK MPs 1865–1868Members of the Privy Council of the United KingdomKnights of the GarterRectors of the University of GlasgowEnglish biographers19th-century English dramatists and playwrightsLords Privy Seal19th-century English poets19th-century English politiciansWriters from the London Borough of CamdenEnglish non-fiction writersPeople of the Victorian eraDickens
Melvyn Bragg discusses the achievements of Charles Dickens What is his political and literary legacy to our age?
12 July 2001
Featuring: Rosemary Ashton, Michael Slater, John Bowen
English travel writersEnglish prisoners and detaineesEnglish male dramatists and playwrightsEnglish AnglicansLiteracy and society theoristsAnglican writersEnglish male short story writersWriters of Gothic fictionEnglish philanthropistsEnglish historical novelistsTrope theoristsBurials at Westminster AbbeyVictorian novelists19th-century English novelists19th-century travel writers19th-century English non-fiction writers19th-century British journalists19th-century English historians19th-century British philanthropistsEnglish male novelistsBritish critics of religionsCritics of the Catholic ChurchPeople from Somers Town, LondonEnglish male poets19th-century pseudonymous writersLecturersEnglish reformers19th-century English dramatists and playwrights19th-century English poets19th-century British short story writersEnglish satiristsWriters about activism and social changeEnglish male non-fiction writersWriters from the London Borough of Camden19th-century English essayistsBritish social reformersBritish male essayistsHarriet Martineau
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss Harriet Martineau who wrote extensively in the C19th on a wide range of subjects including abolition, and is called the mother of sociology.
8 December 2016
Featuring: Valerie Sanders, Karen O'Brien, Ella Dzelzainis
History19th-century English short story writersEnglish travel writersEnglish atheistsPositivistsFeminism and historyEnglish suffragistsEnglish women philosophersEnglish writers with disabilitiesEnglish abolitionistsEnglish historical novelistsWriters from NorwichVictorian novelists19th-century English novelists19th-century English historiansBritish women essayists19th-century British economists19th-century English philosophers19th-century atheists19th-century English women writersEnglish UnitariansVictorian women writersEnglish people of French descentBritish atheism activistsBritish scientists with disabilitiesEnglish women novelistsOscar Wilde
Melvyn Bragg discusses Oscar Wilde, the Aesthetes and his literary legacy. Was Wilde a reactionary - the last of the romantics - or was he the midwife to modernism?
6 December 2001
Featuring: Valentine Cunningham, Regenia Gagnier, Neil Sammells
ConversationalistsIrish male poetsInfectious disease deaths in FranceIrish Freemasons, Irish libertarians, Irish people of English descentConverts to Roman Catholicism from AnglicanismLGBTQ Roman CatholicsWriters of Gothic fictionFin de siècleIrish male dramatists and playwrightsBisexual male writersAlumni of Magdalen College, OxfordBurials at Père Lachaise CemeteryVictorian novelistsIrish writers in French, People educated at Portora Royal SchoolAphoristsVictorian poets19th-century Irish dramatists and playwrights, 19th-century Irish poets, Symbolist dramatists and playwrightsFreemasons of the United Grand Lodge of EnglandLibertarian socialistsScholars of Trinity College DublinWriters from Dublin (city)Anglo-Irish artists, Irish fantasy writersIrish expatriates in FranceBisexual poetsBisexual novelistsIrish male novelistsLGBTQ AnglicansBisexual journalistsAlumni of Trinity College DublinPeople convicted for homosexuality in the United Kingdom, People who have received posthumous pardonsRudyard Kipling
Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the life and work of Rudyard Kipling, a writer sometimes described as the poet of empire.
16 October 2014
Featuring: Howard Booth, Daniel Karlin, Jan Montefiore
Culture20th-century English novelistsMythopoeic writers19th-century English short story writersNobel laureates in Literature20th-century English male writers20th-century English poetsEnglish male short story writersBurials at Westminster AbbeyEnglish hymnwritersVictorian novelists19th-century English novelistsEnglish-language poets from IndiaMaritime writers19th-century English non-fiction writersEnglish children's writersFreemasons of the United Grand Lodge of EnglandRectors of the University of St AndrewsEnglish science fiction writersEnglish male novelistsFellows of the Royal Society of Literature20th-century English memoiristsBritish Nobel laureates19th-century English poetsDeaths from ulcersEnglish Nobel laureatesEnglish anti-fascistsEnglish people of Scottish descentPeople of the Victorian eraThomas Hardy's Poetry
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss Hardy's poems, which he prized far above the novels which made him famous and rich, and his ambition to be ranked alongside Shelley and Byron.
13 January 2022
Featuring: Mark Ford, Jane Thomas, Tim Armstrong
CultureMembers of the Order of MeritBritish male poetsPantheistsEnglish male novelists19th-century English poets19th-century British short story writersBurials at Westminster Abbey20th-century English male writersFellows of the Royal Society of LiteratureVictorian novelistsAlumni of King's College London19th-century English novelistsEnglish male short story writersVictorian poetsEnglish short story writersWilliam Morris
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss some of the many aspects of William Morris: his activism, poetry and prose and his ideas on arts, crafts and work in an industrial world.
5 July 2018
Featuring: Ingrid Hanson, Marcus Waithe, Jane Thomas
CultureEnglish libertariansMythopoeic writersEnglish atheistsBritish male poetsArtist authorsEnglish socialistsBritish socialistsEnglish male short story writersArtists' Rifles soldiersEpic poetsEnglish fantasy writersPeople educated at Marlborough CollegeArts and Crafts movement artistsVictorian novelistsEnglish printers, Translators of VirgilVictorian poetsBritish botanical illustratorsEnglish male novelistsLibertarian socialistsEnglish short story writers19th-century English poets19th-century British short story writersTranslators of HomerSocial Democratic Federation members19th-century English architects