Why realistic plays during the Victorian age were disapproved by many critics

The widespread disapproval of the realistic plays during the Victorian age was largely attributable to the fact that their themes were inconsistent with the Victorian values. Many critics attacked the plays because they regarded their themes as scandalous and unethical. The general opinion shared by such critics was that the plays had a corrupting impact on the society. In their view, plays and other works of art were supposed to be close approximations of the society. Perceived in this light, the critics considered the realistic plays as misrepresentations of life in the Victorian society that cherished order and discipline while others considered it as a threat that would expose the pretense and corruption of the Victorian society.

Realistic plays such as Henrik Ibsen’s ghosts are themed on scandalous family secrets that inverted the values upon which the Victorian morality was established. Realism presents familiar issues as they are in their actual proportions (Strohmeier, 2014). This approach in literature as evidenced in the realistic plays during the Victorian age. Many literary critics, cultural anthropologists, and historians have challenged the values of Victorian society with the argument that they were mainly pretentious as they masked the immorality and other social afflictions that were hidden within its fabric (Strohmeier, 2014). Therefore, those who sought to hide the weaknesses of the society, which the plays exposed, orchestrated the attacks on the Victorian plays.

There are certain aspects of life that many people would not wish to see exposed on stage. For example, aspects of life that appear to scandalous the whole society or threaten the order upon which the society is established may be disapproved by many people in the society. Social harmony is usually preserved on the strength of certain values. Plays that appear to threaten such values or challenge the logic upon which they are established may incur widespread protests from the society.

Reference

Strohmeier, S. (2014).  Victorian Morality and Conduct: Jane Austenś Representation . Hamburg: Diplomica Verlag.