Twenty contributions, chosen and edited for ease of comprehension by young adult audiences, present an overview of English literature under the reign of Queen Victoria (1837-1901). The material is organized into chapters treating the reformist qualities of the writers, the character of the writing, the poetry, and the novels. Specific topics include female independence in Jane Eyre, the philosophy of George Eliot, the effect of an increasing readership, and the metrical style of Tennyson's poems. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR