This text contains major facts, ideas, and contemporary theories, and is packed with close and detailed readings of a variety of novels, poems, and plays. Structured into three easy-to-use sections, this text book guides readers through all the major concepts, themes and issues that characterize Victorian literature; offers an overview of the historical and cultural context in which this literature was produced; and introduces readers to all of the significant critical and theoretical perspectives that underpin modern research into the period.