Studying the literature and culture of the Nineteenth Century has amplified my understanding of what it is to be human.

Studying 19th Century Literature has enabled me to understand the diverse experiences of humanity, which derives from the mirroring of society’s expectations and values within literature. The writers throughout the Enlightenment, Romantic and Victorian eras were consumed with a need to convey their deep emotions and revelations on what it means to be human. This demonstrates how “what is means to be human” is a priceless question that the entire human race has been trying to dissect since the beginning of time. I too, have been consumed with the need to question what makes up a human being in terms of balancing the emotional and creative minds versus the rational and scientific one. From my new understanding, which was illuminated in lectures and tutorials, I now have an amplified understand what it means to be human from studying 19th Century literature.

Within the first weeks of the semester, I was presented with the writings of the Wordsworth duo (William and Dorothy). Their work revealed the profound necessity to be connected to nature, as it is the basis for all life. (see Blogs 1 and 2).  In the Preface to Lyrical Ballards, Wordsworth, alongside Coleridge and Blake, focused writing on the nature, with an emphasis on rebelling against the Nobility. The quote from the Preface  “All good poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings” sums up what the Romantic era emphasised in the writing. These writers wanted to return the tranquility of the countryside, away from the hustle and bustle of Modern England.

This is mirrored in the Victorian era, which was becoming known for the Industrial growth. The shifting world began with the emergence of cars, trains, tall buildings and use of heavy metals which was spoke about in the lecture, where the conversation enveloped to how much from the 19th century to today.  Charles Dickens within this era, stirred emotions of the disadvantages concerning the rise of the Industrial age in Hard Times. The author controversially wrote about the poverty and illness that was suffered in England during this time. He employs his protagonists as a potential solution to focus on love and imagination more-so than facts and a utilitarianism  regime.

Upon visiting the Art Gallery of NSW, the nature of the Victorian era, with their need for scientific rationale over imagination, was presented in the melancholy artwork by Sir Luke Fildes, The Widower. Despite the rapid growth and success of the Victorian era, great loss and suffering for its people proceeded, which is explored in Hard Times. The two opposing sides to the Victorian era; progress and power versus inner feelings, I explore within Blog 4. I questioned the potential building of a high rise on an already congested road in my area, which directly affects thousands of people per day. In doing so, it enabled me to envision what life within the Victorian context would have felt like.

In recent weeks, the study of Tolstoy and Arnold writings, which manifests in the potential lives of peasants or gypsies, ultimately broadened my understanding of what it means to be truthfully human. I fascinate, much like others, on the lives of individuals who are foreign to my immediate environment. In the past, I often sympathise with the potential inequalities inflicted upon people of lower class. However, from the study, I now understand it is not inequality but a greater sense and understanding of what it means to be human as there are no superficial limitations. (see Blog 5)

Overall, I have thoroughly enjoyed this unit as it has presented me with a range of literature I would not have usually encountered. I appreciate the diverse representation of values within society that has changed overtime.