Wagner versus Victorian England.

An effective way to understand something as complex as the Victorian Era is to determine what it is not. Rupert Christiansen’s chapter on Wagner in his book The Victorian Visitors: Culture Shock in Nineteenth-Century Britain does just this. The readings from last week, particularly Matthew Sweet’s Inventing the Victorians gave me the sense that the Victorians were much more progressive than I originally thought. Christiansen touches on this sentiment as well when he asks, “Does the appearance of the latest microchip gizmos make more difference than that of photography, antiseptics, refrigeration, and bicycles?”[1] and then goes on to list a number of Victorian Era innovations that I cannot imagine living without.

Despite technological growth, in the realm of music and lifestyle the Victorian English were certainly not progressive. Christiansen writes, “By the middle of the century it had developed another sort of confidence, a sense of inner moral righteousness which stiffened the nation’s backbone to the point of inflexibility.” [2] It was fascinating to read about how this moral standpoint influenced England’s receptivity to new music, specifically the music of Wagner. England throughout the ages has always had a preference for consonance (i.e. John Dunstable and William Byrd), and it seems that the people did not want to be challenged, especially for an activity that was meant for their leisure. I was struck by the nasty reviews Wagner received during his three visits to London. There is new music I hear that I certainly do not like, but I don’t go so far as to say it is dangerous, and should not exist. Davison, the harshest of the critics, exclaimed, “ ‘Composition indeed! – decomposition is the proper word for such hateful fungi, which choke up and poison the fertile plains of harmony, threatening the world with drowth…”[3] What is it about Wagner’s music that made people feel so threatened? Society is always resistant to change, especially the change that does not make one comfortable, but rather challenges one to know and accept even what is ugly at times, but ultimately honest. I do not like Wagner as a person, but I find his music so unabashedly honest. Perhaps in Wagner the Victorian English saw the ugliness they wished to hide behind their “moral inflexibility.” This is a theme so rampant throughout history: repression always bites you in the ass. When will people learn this lesson?

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[1] Christiansen 3.

[2] Ibid. 43.

[3] Ibid. 58.

An Introduction.

            Beginning this course, it is already becoming clear that I have many misconceptions about the Victorian Era.  I always thought the Victoria Era’s timeline was 19^th-century-ish. However, the Victoria Era has very specific dates as they correspond to the birth and death of Queen Victoria: 1837-1901. This means that the beloved childhood story I always somewhat associated with Victorian Era life, Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery (and published in 1908), while perhaps influenced by the Victorian Era can in no way be named a quintessential Victorian work.

I do not claim to know much about Britain in the Victorian Era, but there are a few other cultural signposts of personal significance that do in some way connect to this time period. My alma mater, Mount Holyoke College, was founded in 1837, the same year as Queen Victoria’s birth.  Mount Holyoke is the first all-women’s college founded in the United States, and inspired other Ivy League counterparts such as Vassar and Wellesley Colleges, founded in the late 19^th century. People often ask me why I chose to attend an all-women’s college, why it is even necessary for all-women’s institutions to exist in today’s “equal” world. I respond that in actuality, the world is not so different as it was at Mount Holyoke’s inception, and that going to Mount Holyoke gave me the chance for four years to live outside the real world, in a place where only women hold leadership positions and only women ask the questions.  It seems that I have the Victorian Era to thank for one of the best decisions I ever made.

My childhood religion, Christian Science, also has its roots tied to the Victorian Era. It is my understanding that during this time many people were questioning traditional Christianity and seeking alternative ways of thinking. Christian Science, although an American brainchild, was in answer to this Victorian Era sentiment. Perhaps a deeper look at Victorian culture will help me to understand the world in which Mary Baker Eddy lived, and her reason for founding a faith that to this day is viewed skeptically and with much controversy.

If there is anything I have learned however from my first class and from the first readings, it is that the Victoria Era is not incredibly different from today’s world. We view the Era as this idyllic past that knew not our conflicts or our amusements, when in fact many of the issues we still face and the fun that we have had its beginnings in Victorian culture. I look forward to learning more, and reporting here about my discoveries.