Neo-Victorianism is an

aesthetic Aesthetics, or esthetics, is a branch of philosophy that deals with the nature of beauty and taste, as well as the philosophy of art (its own area of philosophy that comes out of aesthetics). It examines aesthetic values, often expressed t ...

movement that features an overt nostalgia for the Victorian period, generally in the context of the broader hipster subculture of the 1990s-2010s. It is also likened to other "neos" (e.g.

neoconservatism Neoconservatism is a political movement that began in the United States during the 1960s among liberal hawks who became disenchanted with the increasingly pacifist foreign policy of the Democratic Party and with the growing New Left and co ...

neoliberalism Neoliberalism (also neo-liberalism) is a term used to signify the late 20th century political reappearance of 19th-century ideas associated with free-market capitalism after it fell into decline following the Second World War. A prominent f ...

), which do not simply look back to the past but also reiterate and replay it in more diverse and complicated ways. This characteristic makes neo-Victorian art difficult to define conclusively.

In arts and crafts

Examples of crafts made in this style would include push-button cordless telephones made to look like antique wall-mounted phones, CD players resembling old time radios, Victorianesque furniture, and

Victorian era In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the period of Queen Victoria's reign, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. The era followed the Georgian period and preceded the Edwa ...

-style clothing. In neo-romantic and fantasy art, one can often see the elements of Victorian aesthetic values. There is also a strongly emerging genre of

steampunk Steampunk is a subgenre of science fiction that incorporates retrofuturistic technology and aesthetics inspired by 19th-century industrial steam-powered machinery. Steampunk works are often set in an alternative history of the Victorian ...

art. McDermott & McGough are a couple of contemporary artists whose work is all about a recreation of life in the nineteenth century: they only use the ultimate technology available, and since they are supposed to live anachronistically, this means the use of earlier photographic processes, and maintaining the illusion of a life stuck in the ways of a forgotten era.

Works of fiction

Neo-Victorian works of fiction are creative narrative works set in the Victorian period, but written, interpreted or reproduced by more contemporary artists. Many neo-Victorian novels have reinterpreted, reproduced and rewritten Victorian culture. Significant texts include ''The French Lieutenant’s Woman'' ( John Fowles, 1969), ''Possession'' ( A. S. Byatt, 1990), ''Arthur and George'' (

Julian Barnes Julian Patrick Barnes (born 19 January 1946) is an English writer. He won the Man Booker Prize in 2011 with ''The Sense of an Ending'', having been shortlisted three times previously with '' Flaubert's Parrot'', '' England, England'', and ''Art ...

, 2005), ''Dorian, An Imitation'' ( Will Self, 2002) '' Jack Maggs'' ( Peter Carey, 1997), '' Wide Sargasso Sea'' ( Jean Rhys, 1966). Recent neo-Victorian novels have often been adapted to the screen, from ''The French Lieutenant’s Woman'' (Karel Reisz, 1981) to the television adaptations of Sarah Waters ('' Tipping the Velvet'', BBC2, 2002, '' Fingersmith'', BBC1, 2005, '' Affinity '' ITV, 2008) and Michel Faber (''

The Crimson Petal and the White ''The Crimson Petal and the White'' is a 2002 novel by Michel Faber set in Victorian England. The title is from an 1847 poem by Alfred, Lord Tennyson entitled " Now Sleeps the Crimson Petal", the opening line of which is "Now sleeps the crimso ...

'', BBC 1, 2011). These narratives may indicate a of neo-Victorianism, and have been called "in-yer-face" neo-Victorianism (Voigts-Virchow). Recent productions of neo-Victorianism on screen include Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes films and TV series such as '' Sherlock'', '' Ripper Street'', '' Whitechapel'', '' Murdoch Mysteries'' and '' Penny Dreadful''. The neo-Victorian formula can be expanded to include Edwardian consumer culture ('' Downton Abbey'', '' The Paradise and

Mr Selfridge ''Mr Selfridge'' is a British period drama television series about Harry Gordon Selfridge and his department store, Selfridge & Co, in London, set from 1908 to 1928. It was co-produced by ITV Studios and Masterpiece/WGBH for broadcast on ITV ...

'').

In dress and behaviour

Many who have adopted Neo-Victorian style have also adopted Victorian behavioural affectations, seeking to imitate standards of Victorian conduct, pronunciation, interpersonal interaction. Some even go so far as to embrace certain Victorian habits such as shaving with straight razors, riding penny farthings, exchanging calling cards, and using

fountain pen A fountain pen is a writing instrument which uses a metal nib (pen), nib to apply a Fountain pen ink, water-based ink to paper. It is distinguished from earlier dip pens by using an internal reservoir to hold ink, eliminating the need to repeat ...

s to write letters in florid prose sealed by wax.

Gothic fashion Gothic fashion is a clothing style marked by dark, mysterious, antiquated, homogenous, and often genderless features. It is worn by members of the Goth subculture. Dress, typical gothic fashion includes dyed black hair, exotic hairstyles, dark ...

sometimes incorporates Neo-Victorian style. Neo-Victorianism is embraced in, but also quite distinguished from, the Lolita, Aristocrat and Madam fashions popular in Japan, and which are becoming more noticeable in Europe.

Social conservatives

Neo-Victorian

s are also popular in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

and

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

among cultural conservatives and social conservatives. Books such as ''The Benevolence of Manners: Recapturing the Lost Art of Gracious Victorian Living'' call for a return to Victorian morality. The term Neo-Victorian is also commonly used in a derogatory way towards social conservatives. The cultural social attitudes and conventions that many associate with the Victorian era are inaccurate. In fact, many of the things that seem commonplace in modern life began in the Victorian era, such as sponsorship, sensational journalism and popular merchandise.

Research

In September 2007, The University of Exeter explored the phenomenon in a major international conference titled ''Neo-Victorianism: The Politics and Aesthetics of Appropriation''. Academic studies include ''Neo-Victorianism: The Victorians in the Twenty-First Century, 1999–2009''. Other foundational texts of neo-Victorian criticism are Kucich and Sadoff (2000), Kaplan (2007), Kohlke (2008-), Munford and Young (2009), Mitchell (2010), Davies (2012), Whelehan (2012), Kleinecke-Bates (2014), Böhm-Schnitker and Gruss (2014), Tomaiuolo (2018), and others.

In popular culture and literature

Neo-Victorianism can also be seen in the growing

genre of speculative fiction and in music performers such as Emilie Autumn. Neo-Victorianism is also popular with, and in many ways prefigured by, those who are interested in Victoriana and historical reenactment. Neo-Victorian details appear in '' The Diamond Age'' by

Neal Stephenson Neal Town Stephenson (born October 31, 1959) is an American writer known for his works of speculative fiction. His novels have been categorized as science fiction, historical fiction, cyberpunk, postcyberpunk, and baroque. Stephenson's work e ...

, in which Neo-Victorians are one of the main groups of protagonists.

Carnival Diablo Carnival Diablo the Ultimate Sideshow is a travelling sideshow operating primarily in Spencerville, Ontario, Canada. Performances by the troupe follow a traditional Ten-in-One format featuring such acts as fire-eating, sword swallowing and a huma ...

is a Neo-Victorian circus sideshow that has been touring North America for 20 years. Unhallowed Metropolis is a roleplaying game based in a Neo-Victorian setting.

In arts and crafts

Works of fiction

In dress and behaviour

Social conservatives

Research

In popular culture and literature

See also

References

Further reading