The Victorian Greats

I have decided, considering that so much of my degree over these few years has been based upon the 19th Century, to put down what I consider to be the crème de la crème of novels in this period. I have tried to choose literature that reflects a variety of styles, tones and environments, allowing only one novel per author to appear on the list. Here goes!

1) Mary Barton by Elizabeth Gaskell – while slightly embarrassed to admit it, this book did bring me to tears because it is written with such feeling and such heart that the reader cannot help but be affected. In parts, it does become overly sentimental but overall, one warms rather than cools towards its tenderly crafted characters.

2) Middlemarch by George Eliot – a difficult decision between this and Mill on the Floss. While the latter is empathetic and enjoyable, the former is on such a grand scale, with such diversity of character, that it truly is George Eliot’s masterpiece. Many criticise her writing as too invasive, but I believe she shows us the minds of her characters in a more complex way than many who try to say everything with a word or two.

3) Great Expectations by Charles Dickens – perhaps the hardest choice because Dickens is so absolutely fabulous. His style builds an alternate universe that reflects our own, but in a warped mirror, painting the most genius grotesquery combined with the most terrible emotional depth. While David Copperfield is broad in scope, it lacks the flare that makes Dickens ‘inimitable’; Out Mutual Friend would have been my choice if it were not for the terribly unbelievable ending that wrecks that titanic novel. As it is, Great Expectations creates some of the most memorable characters in literature with a harshness that rings all too true.

4) Villette by Charlotte Bronte – many critics cite Jane Eyre as the eldest Bronte’s greatest achievement, but I personally choose Villette over it whole-heartedly. The lonely woman is in her perfection in this last novel, with a narrative style that is intelligent and original, assimilating the best of the Gothic and the Romance.

5) Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray – my personal favourite, not just of this period but of all time. At times it is fantastic satire, at others brutal honesty. This novel addresses issues of life and love like no other has. While many may turn away because it is long or seems old-fashioned, they will miss out on one of the most poignant novels ever written.

So, does everyone agree with my choices? Have I selected fairly or am I missing a key figure off my list? Perhaps I have chosen the right author but not the right book?

Let me know what you think, I’m dying to hear!