Realism and Social Critique in the 19th century English novel

Abstract

The nineteenth century marked a turning point in English literature, as writers began to move away from the romantic idealization of life and toward a more realistic representation of society. Realism in the English novel emerged as a response to the rapid industrial, social, and moral changes of the Victorian period. Novelists such as Charles Dickens, Elizabeth Gaskell, George Eliot, and Thomas Hardy portrayed the everyday struggles of ordinary people, focusing on class inequality, poverty, and moral hypocrisy. Their works not only mirrored the realities of industrial England but also offered a profound critique of the social structures that sustained injustice and oppression. This article explores how realism functioned both as a literary movement and as a tool of social criticism in the nineteenth-century English novel, emphasizing the writers’ moral responsibility to reveal truth and inspire reform.