How Did The Victorian Era Affect Alice In Wonderland

Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll was published in 1865, a time known as the Victorian Era. The Victorian Era was the time period of Queen Victoria’s reign from June of 1837 until she passed away in January of 1901. It was a time period that consisted majority of peace. The Victorian era had a big impact on the novel and how it evolved the character, Alice. The Victorian Era influenced the novel of Alice in Wonderland with the overall appearance of Alice, discussing the proper etiquette that Alice had to retain, and Alice’s family life. In the novel, Alice wore a knee length puffy dress, stockings, her hair down with a headband, and an apron over her dress. In the Victorian times grooming was very important. “A lady’s hair was always tied up in a chignon (a knot of hair put together in
Ladies in the Victorian time were judged based on their manners and the way that they were brought up. It all depended on class status, the family’s wealth and education, and “the manners and etiquette was how shrewd ones deceived their way into marriages of wealthy partners especially when they have a huge debt to repay.” (Elegant Women) The Victorian Era promoted women who could sing, play musical instruments, and being able to speak French and/or Italian. Having the characteristics of innocence, virtuous, biddable, dutiful, and ignorant of intellectual opinion. The major thing that stands outs in the novel is Alice having to repeat the poem that she had learned to remember. “Repeat ‘You are old, Father William.’” said the Caterpillar.” (Carroll 35) This just gives a brief demonstration of the material that she was expected to learn and the capability that she had to remember and repeat it. Alice also tried to repeat the poem ‘How Doth the Little Busy Bee’, which in the novel, Alice slowly forgot the poem the deeper she got into