I spent the first part of this year reading everything "Victorian" I could get my hands on. About half way through, things got crazy and I had very few opportunities to read. (I did get a book published, though! woop woop!) This year, I'm renewing my commitment toward Victorian studies. I'm still fascinated and there's still so much to learn!
More than any other time in modern history, the Victorian Age saw the most change to European and American societies. Many agrarian, rural communities transitioned to urban centers of industry. Men and women began to talk about and take steps toward redefining their traditional roles. Theories about God, the origin of man, and the practice of religion began to be publicly put forth, challenged, refuted, or solidified. The Victorian Age saw a great revolution in the western world and it's a topic that fascinates me endlessly.
Over the past couple years, I've collected a good stack of Victorian novels and have several on my Christmas list. I spent a week in England in September visiting the Brontes old stomping grounds, and even wrote and taught a class on Victorian Sci Fi and Fantasy literature. This year's reading challenge will be all about the Victorians.
The Rules
Books published during the Victorian age (1837-1901) are acceptable.
Books written about the Victorian age are acceptable, no matter what year they were published.
Stories are not limited to Victorian Britain. Read about what was going on in other parts of the world during this time!
The challenge is open to everyone everywhere---you don't have to have a blog or site to join. Just comment with the link to your online review (Amazon, Goodreads, BookCrossing, or elsewhere) and we'll come visit you.
How to Join
Leave a comment below letting me know you're in and add your blog link if you have one. You can link directly to your home page or to a post you've written about the challenge.
Add the code in the box below to your own site to advertise the challenge so your friends can join too!
Let's Work Together
I'll be putting together a list of books I plan to read for this challenge and will link it here when I'm done. I'd love to hear about your plans for this challenge so let me know in the comments below! Also, if you know of other great reading challenges to join, I'd love to hear about them!
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What a beautiful challenge! You've motivated me to explore what this type of literature has in store. If I find one that intrigues me to read, I'll check back here and join the challenge.
ReplyDeleteHappy Monday, from #soulsurvival
Megs
Great, I hope you'll join!
DeleteMy bookshelves also have their fair share of Victorian novels, so I'll join your challenge, though which ones I'll read I can't predict. I certainly have several Thomas Hardy and Charles Dickens novels to pick from, a couple by George Eliot and A Study in Scarlet (Sherlock Holmes) by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and various classic children's books that I assume (possibly incorrectly) were written in the Victorian period. I know that at least one of my modern books (Fingersmith by Sarah Waters) is set in Victorian times as well. I should look for some Dutch books, too, but older Dutch literature is not usually much fun. At least, not what I've read so far.
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year, Sarah. I'll try and fathom out how to add your linky thing to the sidebar of my blog at some point and just drop my blog link here because Blogger always uses my Google ID unless I log out. Here 'tis: https://integratedexpat.wordpress.com/
Happy New Year! I'm glad you're joining up!
DeleteI like this challenge, as I adore anything of the Victorian era. I've been reading George MacDonald's the Wise Woman. He's a new author to me.
ReplyDeleteAuthors I've enjoyed of that era include Lucy Maud Montgomery and Mark Twain. Although Anne of Green Gables was published in 1908, it is about the Victorian era.
Are you looking forward to the new PBS Masterpiece series, Victoria?
Gail--I have every one of George MacDonal's novels and love them all!! Worthy reads each one! I just don't know if I can commit to all this pleasure reading, though. Much as I'd love to. I have a great cozy mystery Victorian/Edwardian series by Robin Paige (Susan Wittig Albert and husband's pen name for this series), that is just piling up next to my reading table. Also, Susan's Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter is a great 8 book read--already did that. http://www.cottagetales.com/beatrix.shtml
DeleteI shall have to think on these things . . .
Joy all!
Kathy