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RickyMaveety · 08-10-2009, 10:55 AM

A perfectly apt description. The "Victorian Age" describes a period in history during the reign of Queen Victoria in England. That period may well overlap with some other periods in history, such as the "Napoleonic Age," but the term is still valid as a description.

Here in the States, we have houses we call "Victorian" or "Edwardian" ... not because they are of the style that was popular during those reigns. Similarly, we often refer to furniture as being Louis Quatorze because it reflects the style that was popular during his reign, and he certainly wasn't English.

Any time a style, of art, architecture, writing .... any time a style of anything becomes extremely popular during the reign of any monarch, it is common to eventually associate that style with that queen or king. If there is no globally known king or queen associated with the style, then it generally gets tagged either with a cultural moniker, or a designation associated with the period of history unique to that culture (such as saying "Federalist" or "Colonial" or "Early American" for types of American art, or "Mayan" or "Aztec" or "Hopi" for cultures in which the art or architecture did or does not change appreciably over a long period of time, but is clearly distinct.

In the states, since we change leaders at least every eight years, it's difficult to associate long term cultural trends with any one leader. It's easier to do in a monarchy since often the ruler sticks around as long as the cultural trend, and in some cases helps to set the style.

Geeze, I can be so long winded. Anyway, yes, it's perfectly fine to describe literature as Victorian or Elizabethan, or Georgian .... especially if those terms have been used since forever to describe that period of time.

08-10-2009, 10:55 AM	#4
RickyMaveety Holy S**T!!! Posts: 5,213 Karma: 108401 Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: San Diego, California!! Device: Kindle and iPad	A perfectly apt description. The "Victorian Age" describes a period in history during the reign of Queen Victoria in England. That period may well overlap with some other periods in history, such as the "Napoleonic Age," but the term is still valid as a description. Here in the States, we have houses we call "Victorian" or "Edwardian" ... not because they are of the style that was popular during those reigns. Similarly, we often refer to furniture as being Louis Quatorze because it reflects the style that was popular during his reign, and he certainly wasn't English. Any time a style, of art, architecture, writing .... any time a style of anything becomes extremely popular during the reign of any monarch, it is common to eventually associate that style with that queen or king. If there is no globally known king or queen associated with the style, then it generally gets tagged either with a cultural moniker, or a designation associated with the period of history unique to that culture (such as saying "Federalist" or "Colonial" or "Early American" for types of American art, or "Mayan" or "Aztec" or "Hopi" for cultures in which the art or architecture did or does not change appreciably over a long period of time, but is clearly distinct. In the states, since we change leaders at least every eight years, it's difficult to associate long term cultural trends with any one leader. It's easier to do in a monarchy since often the ruler sticks around as long as the cultural trend, and in some cases helps to set the style. Geeze, I can be so long winded. Anyway, yes, it's perfectly fine to describe literature as Victorian or Elizabethan, or Georgian .... especially if those terms have been used since forever to describe that period of time.