Understanding the Victorians

by Susie Steinbach

The Victorian era was a time of dramatic change. During this period Britain ruled the largest empire on earth, witnessed the expansion of democracy, and developed universal education and mass print culture. Both its imperial might and the fact that it had industrialised and urbanised decades before any other nation, allowed it to dominate world politics and culture in many ways for the better part of the nineteenth century. Understanding the Victorians paints a vivid portrait of the era, combining broad survey with close analysis, and introduces students to the critical debates taking place among historians today. It encompasses all of Great Britain and Ireland over the whole of the Victorian period, giving prominence to social and cultural topics alongside politics and economics and emphasising class, gender, and racial and imperial positioning as constitutive of human relations. Starting with the Queen Caroline Affair in 1820 and coming right up to the start of World War I in 1914, Susie L. Steinbach uses thematic chapters to discuss and evaluate politics, imperialism, the economy, class, gender, the monarchy, arts and entertainment, religion, sexuality, religion, and science. Steinbach also provides three much-needed chapters on topics rarely covered at this introductory level on space, consumption, and the law. With a clear introduction outlining the key themes of the period, a detailed timeline, and suggestions for further reading, this is the ideal companion for all students of the nineteenth century.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Academic, Read For School

312 pages, Paperback

First published December 5, 2011

Reviews

[royaevereads · Rating 3 out of 5]

As you would expect with a textbook, I found some chapters more interesting than others. A good overview but probably not a book I’d recommend to anyone who doesn’t “have” to read it for class.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Generally a good place to start when learning about Victorians. Steinbach can be confusing sometimes, and seems to get lost in her own thought process. Though she can digress, this is a good map of the period. Some chapters are a little more dry than others, but that is really dependent upon the reader's interests.
Happy reading!

[Filip Olšovský · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informative, well divided into chapters and at its best when it confronts the most common (and often untrue) narratives of the Victorian period.

[Scott Andrews · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid introduction to the Victorians.

[Sophia · Rating 4 out of 5]

a great introduction to the Victorians. writing style is concise yet enjoyable to read.

[Sophie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok so I had to read this book for a book review which is 25% of my final grade so no surprises it was quite boring. Bits were interesting and if i get a good grade I will up the rating so stay tuned for that

[H. Anne Stoj · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice overview of Victorian society. I particularly liked that each chapter had suggested reading, though I'm not sure why the section on art listed only three novels.