Victorian Britain Values and Norms

Victorian Values and Norms.

Victorian Morality

During Victoria’s reign (1837-1901), a set of values appeared among the society. These values, also called Victorian Morality, contrasted with the morality of the previous Georgian period. In this Victorian morality, values such as code of conduct, sexual restraint or respectability are included in it.

“Ethics and morals relate to “right” or wrong” conduct. While they are sometimes used interchangeable, they are different: ethics refer to rules provided by an external source, e.g. codes of conduct in workplaces or principles in religions. Morals refer to an individual’s own principles regarding right and wrong”.

The Victorian ethics and morality are a result of the influences and struggles that the English social classes carried out, particularly the middle class, during Victoria’s reign. But after the industrialization, the term modernism appeared. Three innovative thinking appeared in this period; Charles Darwin’s “Evolution of species” Sigmund Freud “Psychoanalysis” and Karl Marx “Communism”. These ideas changed the existing Victorian values.

Victorian Sexual property

Prudity and Repression where the main points in the Victorian era code of morality. In this period there was also the existence of a small collection of erotica. One of the most famous is “My Secret Life”. This book was distributed in the late nineteenth century by an anonymous author. However, since there was a great repression against people talking about sexual matters, the use of the language of the flowers was very common. This means that it became popular to use flowers to send messages of love. This language became also popular in Europe after the publication of many flower dictionaries explaining the meaning for herbs, plants etc.

“Different social classes in Victorian times were held to different standards when it came to sexual propriety. In the upper and middle class, women were expected to have no sexual relations before marriage. The only premarital sex that would take place would be between mean and servants or prostitutes because the upper and middle class women would not go against the standards of accepted sexual conduct”.

Abstinence is also a term related to Victorian morality.  

What is abstinence? “The practice of refraining from any activity, sexual in particular for medical, psychological, legal, social or religious reasons”. In Victorian era, the chastity was an important fact because this meant that the person would become a faithful partner. This practice during Victorian times was mostly long term abstinence. This long term abstinence was also in respect of religious asceticism (self-control over the natural). Also, it was believed that abstinence was the best way to protect oneself from any sexual disease. The Orthodox Church asked for abstinence regarding any sexual activity until marriage.