Horror Victorianorum
Encyclopedia
Horror Victorianorum is a term devised by the philosopher David Stove
to refer to irrational distaste for, or condemnation of, Victorian
culture, art and design. The term was used in Stove's book The Plato Cult as part of his argument against Karl Popper
and other philosophers whom he characterised as "modernist
s". For Stove, Popper was influenced by the pervasive anti-Victorian mentality of the era, epitomised by Evelyn Waugh
's book A Handful of Dust
, in which the absurdity of Victorian values is expressed by a parody of "Victorian" conceptions of the civilizing mission of imperialism, when the hero is finally trapped in the Amazonian jungle, forced eternally to read the works of Dickens
to a tribal chief
.
For Stove, the ascription of absurdity to Victorian culture was essentially a matter of taste
, but one so powerful and irrational that it possessed the intensity of religious faith. As a result it produced a revulsion – rather than a reasoned scepticism – to writers such as the Victorian philosopher of science William Whewell
.
Following Stove's usage, the term was taken up by the design historian Shelagh Wilson to refer to modernist distaste for Victorian architecture
and design. Wilson argued that "Palissyite" design, influenced by the methods of Bernard Palissy
, had been ridiculed and misunderstood by proponents of "Puginite" design, following the proto-modernist principles of Augustus Pugin. Wilson's argument formed part of a reaffirmation of the aesthetic principles of the grotesque
.
The argument that distaste for Victorian cultural values ('Anti-victorianism') is irrational has been adopted by other writers,either following Stove's politically conservative attack on liberal thought
, or Wilson's critique of modernism.
Stove's thesis that the Modernists such as Popper rejected Whewell is challenged when one considers Peter Medawar
's essay on Popper in Schilpp's The Philosophy of Karl Popper, in which Popper is shown to be, in some respects, a sympathetic elaboration of Whewell. That Whewell anticipates many of Popper's ideas is acknowledged by Popper himself in his reply to Medawar.
David Stove
David Charles Stove , was an Australian philosopher of science.His work in philosophy of science included detailed criticisms of David Hume's inductive skepticism, as well as what he regarded as the irrationalism of his disciplinary contemporaries Karl Popper, Thomas Kuhn, Imre Lakatos, and Paul...
to refer to irrational distaste for, or condemnation of, Victorian
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
culture, art and design. The term was used in Stove's book The Plato Cult as part of his argument against Karl Popper
Karl Popper
Sir Karl Raimund Popper, CH FRS FBA was an Austro-British philosopher and a professor at the London School of Economics...
and other philosophers whom he characterised as "modernist
Modernism
Modernism, in its broadest definition, is modern thought, character, or practice. More specifically, the term describes the modernist movement, its set of cultural tendencies and array of associated cultural movements, originally arising from wide-scale and far-reaching changes to Western society...
s". For Stove, Popper was influenced by the pervasive anti-Victorian mentality of the era, epitomised by Evelyn Waugh
Evelyn Waugh
Arthur Evelyn St. John Waugh , known as Evelyn Waugh, was an English writer of novels, travel books and biographies. He was also a prolific journalist and reviewer...
's book A Handful of Dust
A Handful of Dust
A Handful of Dust is a novel by Evelyn Waugh published in 1934. It is included in Modern Library List of Best 20th-Century Novels, and was chosen by TIME magazine as one of the one hundred best English-language novels from 1923 to present....
, in which the absurdity of Victorian values is expressed by a parody of "Victorian" conceptions of the civilizing mission of imperialism, when the hero is finally trapped in the Amazonian jungle, forced eternally to read the works of Dickens
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
to a tribal chief
Tribal chief
A tribal chief is the leader of a tribal society or chiefdom. Tribal societies with social stratification under a single leader emerged in the Neolithic period out of earlier tribal structures with little stratification, and they remained prevalent throughout the Iron Age.In the case of ...
.
For Stove, the ascription of absurdity to Victorian culture was essentially a matter of taste
Taste (sociology)
Taste as an aesthetic, sociological, economic and anthropological concept refers to a cultural patterns of choice and preference. While taste is often understood as a biological concept, it can also be reasonably studied as a social or cultural phenomenon. Taste is about drawing distinctions...
, but one so powerful and irrational that it possessed the intensity of religious faith. As a result it produced a revulsion – rather than a reasoned scepticism – to writers such as the Victorian philosopher of science William Whewell
William Whewell
William Whewell was an English polymath, scientist, Anglican priest, philosopher, theologian, and historian of science. He was Master of Trinity College, Cambridge.-Life and career:Whewell was born in Lancaster...
.
Following Stove's usage, the term was taken up by the design historian Shelagh Wilson to refer to modernist distaste for Victorian architecture
Victorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
and design. Wilson argued that "Palissyite" design, influenced by the methods of Bernard Palissy
Bernard Palissy
Bernard Palissy was a French Huguenot potter, hydraulics engineer and craftsman, famous for having struggled for sixteen years to imitate Chinese porcelain...
, had been ridiculed and misunderstood by proponents of "Puginite" design, following the proto-modernist principles of Augustus Pugin. Wilson's argument formed part of a reaffirmation of the aesthetic principles of the grotesque
Grotesque
The word grotesque comes from the same Latin root as "Grotto", meaning a small cave or hollow. The original meaning was restricted to an extravagant style of Ancient Roman decorative art rediscovered and then copied in Rome at the end of the 15th century...
.
The argument that distaste for Victorian cultural values ('Anti-victorianism') is irrational has been adopted by other writers,either following Stove's politically conservative attack on liberal thought
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
, or Wilson's critique of modernism.
Stove's thesis that the Modernists such as Popper rejected Whewell is challenged when one considers Peter Medawar
Peter Medawar
Sir Peter Brian Medawar OM CBE FRS was a British biologist, whose work on graft rejection and the discovery of acquired immune tolerance was fundamental to the practice of tissue and organ transplants...
's essay on Popper in Schilpp's The Philosophy of Karl Popper, in which Popper is shown to be, in some respects, a sympathetic elaboration of Whewell. That Whewell anticipates many of Popper's ideas is acknowledged by Popper himself in his reply to Medawar.
Literature
- Stove, D., The Plato Cult and other Philosophical follies, Blackwell, 1991
- Wilson, S., "Monsters and monstrosities: grotesque taste and Victorian design", in Trodd, Colin, et al. (eds.), Victorian Culture and the Idea of the Grotesque, Ashgate, 1999