Contents: Preface. 1. Eighteenth century poetry. 2. Johnson the critic of Literature. 3. Growth of novel. 4. Romantic Movement in Poetry. 5. French Revolution of English Literature. 6. Historical novel and essay in literature. 7. Medievalism in romantic poetry. 8. Romantic poetry and importance. 9. The Victorian age. 10. Scientific thought in Victorian Literature. Index.

"The Victorian Age was essentially a period of peace and prosperity for England. The few colonial wars that broke out during this period exercised little adverse effects on the national life. The Crimean War, of course, caused a stir in England, but its effect were soon forgotten and the people "regained the normal tenor of their lives without feeling the aftermaths of war in their round of daily activities". In the earlier years of the age, the effect of the French Revolution: was still felt, but by the middle of the century, it had almost completely dwindled and England felt safe from any revolutionary upsurge disturbing the placidity and peaceful existence of its life. On the whole, it was a comparatively peaceful reign when English men, secure in their Island base, could complete the transformation of all aspects of their industrial, commercial and social life without any risks of violent interruptions that gave quite a different quality to the history of continental nations." (jacket)