Victorian Literature sought to show what it was actually like to live at that time. It was a way of entertaining the middle class and authors such as Dickens and Bronte used many characters with 'thick plots' in their novels. Poets such as Lord Tennyson featured romance in their poems but alongside themes of sadness. Because this was the time of the industrial revolution a lot of what was written was about social reform to reflect what was actually happening to the people reading it. Many writers also challenged social beliefs like religion and class and were often seen as controversial. Christina Rossetti Rossetti is one of the most important writers from the 19th Century and she write many love poems, nursery rhymes and is most famous for writing the Christmas carol 'In the Bleak Mid-winter'. A lot of her work is dominated by religious themes however she isn't on to preach about her views. God is always a subject within her work whether as a main character or in the background. In some poems she directly talks to Him. Her love for God always comes out on top and the love that she talks about within her work- regardless of who it's between- is always emotional love rather than a sexual one. She doesn't objectify anyone and the characters within her poems are never without some kind of love. Lord Tennyson Tennyson wrote about many topics such as politics, history as well as science and mythology. He was influenced a lot by the works of Byron, Scott as well as personal events that happened to him. He liked to use the past as a backdrop to his poems and his most famous piece is 'The Lady of Shalott' which is set in medieval times. How and why has poetry changed from the Romantic through to the Victorian period ? The main reason why poetry has changed is because of the industrial revolution which meant that many people were in a time of transition. They were changing jobs, houses etc and the literature that they were reading had to reflect that change. I would say that the Victorian Literature is more realistic and is something that more people can relate to. A lot of the romantic work is very much set in a fantasy world and is more based on what people want rather than what people can relate to. The Victorian literature challenged a lot of beliefs and ideas that people held whereas the romantic era didn't go that far- most of the work is a lot more 'safe' in terms of being controversial.