It was during Victorian Age when old views of the universe, man and his relation to God, had to be given up or resized.
The orthodox hesitated of tried to ignore the criticism; but the thoughtful laymen felt his old beliefs giving way, and naturally turned to the sciences. Rationalistic theories eliminated the supernatural from the universe, and perhaps, unintentionally gave some support to the materialism of the age.
Those whose honesty compelled them to give up traditional faith at any rate in the from in which they had received them – and could not find any permanent satisfaction in a purely material conception of life, took refuge in indifference to religion.
Carlyle, the first great figure of the period, is typical of its literature, because he preached the necessity of faith, and thought he was unable to reach such faith himself, proclaimed insufficiency of existing social ideals. Tennyson’s work is full of the struggle between knoll and faith.
ADVERTISEMENTS:
Clough and Arnold represent it, the one tempering agnosticism with hope, the other with stoicism. In fiction, until we reach George Eliot there is little evidence of it the intellect changes of the time: but in all of it there is abundant criticism of the social tendencies are ideals.