The world is a really bad place. No, seriously! Alas, there is a solution to our most pressing social problems: Let’s all become Victorians. This is, crudely oversimplified of course, the advice Gertude Himmelfarb offers in her book The De-Moralization of Society – From Victorian Virtues to Modern Values. As the title suggests, it aspires to be much more than just another account of Victorian England. Himmelfarb, who, besides being an eminent historian, is the wife of prominent neoconservative Irving Kristol, tackles current social issues as well which, according to her view, haven’t really changed that much since the late 19th century.

When Himmelfarb looks at the current state of the Western world, she sees decay everywhere. She lists crime rates along with data on poverty, illiteracy and illegitimacy as evidence of her cultural criticism which isn’t entirely void of the Spenglerian undertones commonly found in conservative writing. It is neither very original nor in any way disputable to point out that the rapid and ongoing liberalization since at least the mid-20th century has had some negative side effects. The strenght of this book therefore clearly does not lie in its diagnosis of current social challenges – Himmelfarb’s findings on these matters could be summarized with this post’s first sentence. It actually doesn’t get much subtler than that.

Nevertheless, the book provides a vivid account of the ambivalent society Victorian England actually was as opposed to the stereotypical view of this particular era. Victorians, according to common conception, were stiff moralists to the point of self-righteousness bound by many social restrictions and living in an era marked by crass inequalities between classes and sexes. Himmelfarb challenges such notions by poiting out that, while Victorian society certainly would not satisfy our current high standards concerning liberty and equality, it was never as monolithic as prejudice suggests. Social reform efforts directed at the betterment of the lower classes abounded, culture, science as well as philosophy flourished and women’s rights became one of the most prominent social issues among the educated. Furthermore, many of the eminent cultural figures of Victorian England did not fit the bill of Victorian virtues at all. Himmelfarb’s biographical notes on people like H. G. Wells, George Eliot, Oscar Wilde or Beatrice Potter, none of whose private lives could live up to the strict Victorian ideal, serve as vivid illustration of the diversity of this era and are woven organically into the overarching social, cultural and economic history.

Still, it’s the average Victorian with his ideals of self-reliance, hard work and responsibility in all matters public and private Himmelfarb points to as a model for modernity. Approvingly she discusses the idealization of the “bourgeois” family as a key tenet of Victorianism, which she sees a the main factor for successful reduction of out of wedlock childbirth. The emphasis Himmelfarb puts on illegitimacy, which she refers to as a social pathology, might strike more liberal readers as a bit off, especially since she almost casually associates single parenthood with alcohol and drug abuse.

Himmelfarb, herself being an influential figure within the neoconservative movement, makes no effort to hide her political affiliation which is more than obvious in all her value judgement: In favor of democracy and liberty, firmly believing in the universal applicability of values, the latter being an aspect of Victorianism Himmelfarb seems to cherish above all else, and not calling for moral fanaticism while strongly suggesting that higher moral standards are what society desperately needs. Since she keeps her political views largely to herself until the epilogue it is entirely possible to ignore her political agenda and just read the book as a knowledgeable, well-written introduction into Victorianism.

Further Reading:

• Charles Booth Online Archive. http://booth.lse.ac.uk/
• Henry Mayhew. London Labour and the London Poor.
• Kellow Chesney. Victorian Underworld.