The "Substantivization" of Modern in Late Victorian Literature and Victorian Liberalism

The article concentrates on the problem of legitimization of the modern age in the late Victorian literature. The evolution of the idea of modern in the late Victorian time was stimulated by liberal thinking, namely Social Darwinism, new ideas of religion and Mill's idea of the liberty of thought and discussion. This revolution in the ways of thinking emphasized the value of transient moments and produced a new type of writing accentuating the true present. On the other side, the new value of modern was seen as a characteristic feature of the national life, as a result modern acquired great significance, and a new feeling arose of dynamic and rootless way of being.