Science, Technology
and the Supernatural
in the World of
Victorian Literature
Kevin Frazelis
Clémence Oréal
Michael Filoramo
ENGL 345 – English Novel II
From Frankenstein and The Invisible Man to Jane
Eyre and The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes,
the Victorian era has produced a plethora of
literature that dares to explore science,
technology and even the supernatural.
The purpose of this timeline is to explore and
better understand the literature of this era that
incorporates these themes in its works.
Enjoy!
Mary Shelley, Frankenstein (1818)
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, first
published in 1818 under anonymous
authorship and again in 1823 under
Mary Shelley’s name, is a British
novel whose themes explicitly deal
with the ethical dilemma of the
misuse of science, as well as the
existence of human life.
It is often considered one of the first
works of science-fiction, as the
protagonist exclusively focuses his
endeavors
on
scientific
experimentation to create his
brainchild, the grotesque monster
that we have all come to know as
“Frankenstein” (though there is no
specific reference in the novel to the
creature
being
called
“Frankenstein”).
Not only is the very premise of
the novel based on the
supernatural—Victor
creating
artificial life through homebrew
scientific experimentation—but
its themes have been borrowed
upon and recreated since its
inception. In fact, the genre of
horror (in literature, films,
shows, etc.) owes
its very
existence to
the novel, as
it is also often
considered one
of the first works
in horror.
Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre (1847)
In Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë, there is a
part in the novel where Jane hears Mr.
voice calling her. Few days after,
Mr. Rochester tells her
been calling her
name and heard Jane answering him. The
narrator writing about this kind of telepathy
echoes the invention of telegraph. The electric
telegraph was invented ten years before Jane
Eyre was published, and improvements have
been made for 20 years. The science
of new telecommunications
marked a turning point in the
speed of dialogue transmission,
and Jane Eyre wondering about
how fast her thoughts can be
transmitted to Mr. Rochester
is undoubtedly a reference to the
electric telegraph.
The Electrical Telegraph, a machine that sends
electrical signals through telecommunication
lines (thus allowing communication via encoded
messages known as Morse Code), was first
invented in 1809.
Charles Dickens, Great Expectations (1861)
1861: Charles Dickens publishes Great Expectations, a novel in which the supernatural
sometimes takes the upper hand on the story, particularly within the characters (Mrs.
Havisham and her daughter Estella), with who the line between natural and supernatural is
intentionally blurred. They can be compared to vampires, a trope used several times
during the Victorian era, the most famous reference to it being
Dracula, by Bram Stoker. Two years before Great expectations was
published, Darwin released the Origins of species, a shake up in
the knowledge of the human being. In his novel, Dickens plays
with the human notion, Mrs Havisham being between a human
and a vampire or a sort of supernatural character. Only the hero, Pip,
themselves behind the human codes and customs.
Wilkie Collins, The Moonstone (1868)
1868: Wilkie Collins publishes one of the first detective novel, The Moonstone.
This very modern genre, for this time, doesn’t acknowledge nonetheless every
modern progress made during the Victorian era. Indeed, in chapter VIII, the
narrator openly criticizes young people dissecting insects and small animals.
This passage reflects the changes concerning science and
anatomy in the 19th century, and particularly the work of
Georges Cuvier, a French anatomist. His innovative work (often
made thanks to dissection) marked a decisive moment in
natural sciences that was not accepted by all. Dissection was
sometimes despised and seen as challenging religion.
Robert Louis Stevenson, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1886)
In Robert Louis Stevenson; The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, The role of the outsider is a central part of
the character arc in the story. The important characters in this novel have different qualities which separate them
from the common man in society. Mr. Hyde in the beginning is differentiated from society in the first chapter of the
novel by the narrator of the tale on first glance. Unbeknownst to the reader at the time of
publishing, is that the vile Mr. Hyde is actually the missing Dr. Jekyll who has
undergone a scientific transformation thorough use of a questionable potion. In
the time building up to the publishing of the novel, various scientific and
technological breakthroughs were made during the Victorian period. Robert Koch
was a leading scientist in biological studies and chemistry in the era. Jekyll is fine
upstanding citizen who is beloved but Hyde represents issues regarding urban
terror that is a continual problem in England at the point in time. The duality of
both characters also show reflect a society that is so perpetually bogged down by
ideals of civility and behavior; that Hyde is merely symbol for the anger and
defiance that some members of the Victorian era may have had pent up according to
Stevenson.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1887)
Scottish author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes is a fictional detective who appears in four novels and 56 short stories, all written
between 1887 and 1927, and are narrated mostly through Holmes’s personal friend, Dr. John H. Watson. The stories are all about mysteries
that Holmes must solve, typically grounded on very few leads and clues to work with. Holmes, then, must rely on his own intuition and instinct
to solve these mysteries—along with the help of Watson. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes also stands at the forefront of the
mystery genre of literature.
One of the most noteworthy and prominent aspects of Sherlock Holmes is his unfettered mental
clarity and almost supernatural ability to deductively reason probable (if factual) outcomes in
countless highly difficult cases. He is also able to mimic
nearly any disguise, and seems to possess a mysteriously high amount
of physical strength (in The Adventure of the Speckled Band we see
Holmes effortlessly unbend a fireplace poker someone of brute strength
has bent beforehand)
Since its creation, Sherlock Holmes has been recreated and
reinterpreted in countless adaptations in literature, TV
shows and film. Today a TV series on BBC One titled
Sherlock (Benedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman) is
being produced.
Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Grey (1891)
bourgeois and overly decadent. One the opposite the side of England the glitz and glamour were drowned out
by morbidity and disparity. This was a major societal conflict during the time which is greatly depicted
throughout the novel. The lead character Dorian is originally a highly foppish character who behaves like a
modern day socialite and behaves in a very uncaring manner towards those who do not meet his specific
standards. This highbrow aristocratic
behavior is reflection of the upper
class attitude during the era. Wilde
eventually humbles his title
character and exposes him as well as us
to the other side of England. The
downtrodden and ignored part of town,
where the lower class keeps itself
occupied. The lower class reside in dank
bars and shacks that in the
beginning surprised Mr. Gray who is
accustomed to better confinement
but because of the hideousness of his
soul is forced to inhabit. In one
scene a carriage driver refuses to even
deliver Dorian from the bourgeois
side of town to the other side of town.
This truly demonstrates the
societal gap between both sides of
Victorian England.
H.G. Wells, The Time Machine (1895)
H.G. Wells wrote “Time Machine” functions as a negative assessment of Victorian
England and a morbid view of is projection of the country in the future. He was
extremely critical of capitalism and viewed as a scourge on society altogether;
this is not surprising given Well’s socialist leanings. With the rise of the
Industrial revolution coming on, ideas of evolution emanating from Charles
Darwin at this interesting time in England. The stage had been set for a novel
such as “The Time Machine,” that encompasses issues relating to class warfare
and the advancement of technology that the late Victorians were nowhere close
to achieving in real time. The influence of the industrial revolution
on the novel is easily demonstrated through the time machine
itself; which allows the time traveler the ability to travel
through space and time. The main conflict of the novel is the
issues between the class system which predominantly features the
“Eloi’ as the upper class, with the “Morlocks” being featured as
the lower class as well as savages. This novel is a product of an
era dealing with class conflict and the rapid effects of booming
fascination with technology and brilliantly magnifies that.
H. G. Wells, The Invisible Man (1897)
English author H. G. Wells’ The Invisible Man is a science-fiction novella about a scientist
named Griffin—also the aforementioned “Invisible Man”—who creates a way for the
human body to neither reflect nor absorb light, physically rendering it invisible. Though he
is successful in his scientific experimentation, particularly on himself, he thereafter
cannot find a way to reverse the process.
The Invisible Man undoubtedly incorporates elements of the supernatural, and arguably
borrows science-fictional elements as seen in its predecessors, particularly Shelley’s
Frankenstein: Griffin’s mysterious and homebrew experiments go awry when he discovers
he is incapable of rendering himself visible again—though becomes it after he is seized
and beaten by a mob.
The novella plays on the themes of isolation, particularly for Griffin himself who excludes
all others from his scientific endeavors (save for a cat he tries his formula on), as well as
science—Griffin discovers his successful formula through trial and error. It also
incorporates elements of horror as Griffin, once invisible, wreaks havoc on the small
southern English town of Iping, West Sussex.
Since its inception, The Invisible Man has been adapted into several films and TV series,
including a 1933 film directed by James Whale, and a 1992 modern adaptation of the
story, Memoirs of an Invisible Man (starring Chevy Chase).
Bram Stoker, Dracula (1897)
The Victorian popularity of trains at the time has a very big impact on this novel. In this novel Dracula is in his manor in
Transylvania being hunted down Dr. Van Helsing and his band of merry men; whom are bent on ending Dracula’s reign
of terror. The characters have to use the railway in order to find their way to Dracula’s estate in order to stop him. The
first line of the novel is ironically a complaint about a train arriving late to the station. This is a sign that traveling and
the railways are going to be a very important part of this novel. The leading lady of the novel “Mina” is also a selfproclaimed train fiend, who memorizes different train schedules of the off chance that she may
need to know train information in the future. During this time in the Victorian era the
railways were expanding dramatically and were becoming a massive public attraction in England.
For instance Queen Victoria was a regular user of the train because of its swiftness and the ability
to keep up with the regular everyday people, this allowed her and the royal family to have a presence
in everyday society. In 1900, 18,680 miles were in use and over 1100 million passengers were
travelling via the railways as well as various precious cargo. The impact of the railway system
clearly had a major impact on Victorian life as well as on Dracula.
Sources
Bronte, Charlotte. Jane Eyre. Ed. Margaret Smith. Oxford: Oxford UP, 1998. Print.
Collins, Wilkie. The Moonstone. 1868. Oxford: Oxford UP, 1982. Print.
Dickens, Charles. Great Expectations. London: Penguin, 1996. Print.
Doyle, A.C. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. London. 1892. England: George Newnes Ltd, 1984. Print.
Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein: A Norton Critical Edition. ed. J. Paul Hunter. New York: W. W. Norton, 1996. Print.
Stevenson, Robert Louis. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. 1886. NY: Signet, 1994. Print.
Stoker, Bram. Dracula. 1897. New York: Oxford University Press, 1990. Print.
Wells, H.G. The Invisible Man. Bartleby.com, 2000. www.bartleby.com/1003/, 2000. Website.
Wells, H.G. The Time Machine. London: Dent; Rutland: Tuttle, 1992. Print.
Wilde, Oscar. The Picture of Dorian Gray. Michael Patrick Gillespie, Editor. Norton Critical Edition. New York: W.W.
Norton & Company, Inc., 2007. Print.