9. Why did a woman writer, Mary Ann Evans, take a man’s
name for her pseudonym?
10. What works by Stevenson are still most popular?
ENGLISH LITERATURE AT THE END OF
THE 19th AND THE BEGINNING
OFTHE 20th CENTURY
General Background
By 1880 England had become the first modern industrial
empire. Its large, urban manufacturing centers produced goods
that went by rail and then by steamship to consumers all over the
world. British investments and energy were expanding and served
for the defense of the Empire.
Queen Victoria lived until January 1901. Her son. Edward
VII, was nearly sixty years old when he was crowned, and reigned
only nine years. These nine years in the history c f England are
called the Edwardian period. Despite the brevity o f the
Edwardian period, it saw the development of a national conscience
that expressed itself in important social legislation (including the
first old-age pensions). It laid the groundwork for the English
welfare state.
On the other hand, the second half of the I9lh century in
England gave rise to a rapid growth o f social contradictions.
Those contradictions found their reflection in literature, too. It
was reflected in literature by the appearance of different trends.
A great number of writers continued the realistic traditions of
their predecessors. It was represented by such writers as George
Meredith, Samuel Butler, Thomas Hardy. The novelists gave a
truthful picture of the contemporary society.
The writers o f another trend, by way o f protest against se
vere reality, tried to lead the reader away from life into the world
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