SECTION 1 – JOHN RUSKIN, GEORGE MEREDITH

John Ruskin (1819-1900), art critic, author, poet, artist, and architectural commentator, was perhaps, most importantly, an outspoken social critic. He became the most widely known cultural theorist of his era. Staunch supporter of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, Ruskin was one of the greatest influences of the Victorian age.


Title page, The King of Golden River.
By John Ruskin. Portland, Maine: Mosher Press, 1914. A fantasy novel by Ruskin.
In his work on French history, English poet and novelist George Meredith (1828–1909) presented a model for social and political reform. His work is representative of the Victorian literary/artistic focus on social justice.


Section of poem, Odes in Contribution to the Song of French History.
By George Meredith. Westminster: Archibald Constable and Co., 1898

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Image from: The Letters of Queen Victoria, a Selection from Her Majesty's Correspondence Between the Years 1837 and 1861: Published by Authority of His Majesty the King. Ed., Arthur Christopher Benson ... and Viscount Esher. Volume 1. New York: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1907.

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