Railways and the End of British Romanticism

Abstract

This thesis examines how the railways created a new experiential world for ordinary British people by forcing them to confront the new realities of industrialized society. The railways quickly became a part of nearly every person’s daily life and experience, which heralded a fundamental change in the way people interacted with each other and understood themselves in the context of their world. This thesis uses a theory of “cultural language” within society to explore the ramifications of that change as seen in literature. The rise of the railways and the change in experience can be linked to the end of Romanticism in Britain and the rise of Victorian Realism. The new literature was reflective of the new post-railway industrialized world.