For his novels, he took themes from Scottish history ( Jacobitism period) - Waverly, Rob Roy, The Heart of Midlothian.

Jane Austin (1775-1817) depicts the quiet everyday life of relatively rich and prosperous people, mostly from country gentry. Her novel Pride and Prejudice (1813) is especially popular for its humorous and detailed depiction of typical characters.



Realism and Naturalism in the English Novel:
Brontë sisters protest against everything that is inhuman and cruel. They stand up for the right of everyone to love and to have a respectable position in society.
Emily (1818-1848) in her only novel Wuthering Heights (1847)succeeded in creating a passionate world full of mystery and dark, stormy scenes that match the gloomy atmosphere of the Yorkshire moors.
Charlotte (1816-1855) wrote the realistic novel Jane Eyre (1847) is based on her own experiences as a governess. She defends the right of an intelligent woman to respectable occupation.



Charles Dickens (1812-1870) is one of the best narrators of his period well as one of the most versatile and amusing masters in creating authentic characters. He feels sympathy and understanding for the weak and poor, represented by innocent children. Oliver Twist (1837-38) is the life-story of a poor orphan. In David Copperfield (1850) he attacks the poor educational system in England. Dickens is known as an author of many short stories, the best A Christmas Carol in Prose(1843).
Oscar Wilde (1856-1900) wrote under the French influence The Picture of Dorian Gray (1891). His essay De Profundis consist of autobiographical notes from prison, with growing interest in serious problems of human existence. He wrote several comedies with witty dialogues: Lady Windermere’s Fan, An Ideal Husband full of shrewd observations of people’s behavior and manners.

Lewis Carroll (1832-98) wrote two books for children: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1865) and Through the Looking-Glass (1872)
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930) is called the father of English detective story. He wrote novels and stories about a genuine detective Sherlock Holmes.

Drama: George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) wrote his best known play Pygmalion in year 1912. It is the story of a poor flower girl who rises in society thanks intelligence and ambition. LITERATURE IN THE 20TH CENTURY

After participation in World War I., the position of the British Empire was strengthened. The Reform Act of 1918 gave the voting right to women over the age of thirty, in 1928 the voting age was reduced to twenty-one. After World War II Britain lost the colonies. The USA strengthened its position as an economic and financial power in the post-war world.