Victorian People in Life and in Literature

by Gillian Avery

Contrasts the reality with the literary portrayal of the social conditions and daily life of various classes of Victorian people.

Genres: Nonfiction

255 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1970

About the author

Gillian Elise Avery was a British children's novelist, and a historian of childhood education and children's literature. She won the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize in 1972 for A Likely Lad. It was adapted for television in 1990.

Reviews

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Victorian People in Life and Literature" explores life in England during Victorian times. It started with the rich and worked on down to the very poor, including information on workhouses and the prison system. It looked at farm life and at life in industrial cities. It quoted comments by foreign visitors, magazines of the time period, and bits from novels that accurately portray the times.

The illustrations were cartoons and line drawings taken from magazines from that time period. The book was very readable and interesting, and it came across as well-researched. Overall, I'd recommend this book to those interested in learning more about what the living conditions and social attitudes were like during this time period.