"Introductions to British Literature and Culture" are practical guides to key literary periods. Guides in the series are designed to help introduce a new module or area of study, providing concise information on the historical, literary and critical contexts and acting as an initial map of the knowledge needed to study the literature and culture of a specific period. This accessible introduction to Victorian literature and its contexts from 1837-1901 includes: an overview of the historical, cultural and intellectual background including politics and economics, popular culture, philosophy and religion; a survey of the developments in key genres including discussion of major writers such as the Brontes, the Brownings, Collins, Dickens, Eliot, Gaskell, Hardy, Rossetti, Shaw, Swinburne, Tennyson and Wilde; concise explanations of key terms needed to understand the literature and criticism; a guide to key critical approaches; a chronology mapping historical events and literary works; and guided further reading including websites and electronic resources.