The Novel: Victorian Women’s Guilty PleasureIntroductionVictorian single women in the middle and upper class were expected to explore charity and community service as a way to help the poor. The attitude of “ rich are busy, poor can wait†was supposed to be overturned, so that a “ poor are busy, rich can wait†attitude could alleviate the growing poverty within the lower class. Miss Crawley’s blatant disregard for the poor, in addition to her zealous behavior, would normally be shunned in Victorian society, but because of her status, her irate behavior is overlooked. Her love for French culture was unusual for a woman of her status, but French novels, along with various types of British “ sensation†novels, were a popular form of entertainment among Victorian women.French InfluenceAfter the French Revolution of 1789, the British followed events in France very closely. British museums have an extensive collection of French artifacts, especially literature by Alexander Dumas and Emile Zola.
