For several good reasons, literary theory has always tended to classify social problem novels in the nineteenth century tradition of literary realism. This, however, has been done at the expense of one substantial aspect that these works contain, and which literary criticism has since continued to neglect: their idealism. Yet, crucial figures of the time have theorized on this latter realm of aesthetics, among which George Henry Lewes and Edward Bulwer-Lytton. As they strive to furnish idealism with its rightful place in Art, the aesthetic theories formulated by these two literary critics may offer original insights into some of the most read Victorian novels.

This master’s thesis endeavors to explore the dialectical relationship of idealism and realism by arguing that the socially critical message contained in Victorian social-problem novels is forwarded by their idealist aesthetics as much as, if not more than, by their realist conception.