Succeeding the Romantic Age was the Victorian Age which began, according to well-esteemed scholars, in the year 1832 and ended in the year 1900. The Victorian literature inherited numerous qualities from Romantic literature. Yet, the Victorian writings expanded to acknowledge its new ideas, its scientific achievements, and its unique Victorian attitudes. Throughout history, the work of poets and writers has been influenced by the changing society. The Romantic Age was affected indirectly through various revolutions. The French Revolution disillusioned many Romantic poets, who had supported the French ideals of equality, liberty, and fraternity because the revolution turned to a violent course which abandoned its democratic goals for Napoleon's dictatorship. Another revolution that also had an influence on the poetry of the Romantic Age was the Industrial Revolution. It caused disappointment for the Romantic poets since the revolution had paved the way for poverty, bad working conditions, and the exploitation of women's and children's labor. Overall, the Romantic period was marked with political and social turmoil. Under the circumstances, many Romantic poets evaded reality and indulged in their imaginative world of poetry. Romantic poetry is often found to focus principally on the past; it extolled individual freedom, and liberty as well as emphasized imagination and closeness to nature.
             Contemporary changes also had an imprint on the Victorian Age; yet, in more optimistic ways than on the Romantic. The Victorian period was a transition toward improvements both politically and socially. The First and Second Reform Bill allowed the middle class of England to earn more votes and voice their opinions in politics. The working class now could enjoy better working conditions and shorter hours of labor by virtue of the Factory Acts. The Victorian attempts for gradual democratic reforms were reflected in its literature. Victorian poetry, si...