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Charles Dickens publishes Oliver Twist in periodical form.
Oliver Twist is one of the most famous novels Charles Dickens ever wrote, which is impressive, given that he wrote fifteen very popular novels during his life. It’s a classic rags-to-riches story about an orphan who has to find his way through a city full of criminals, and avoid being corrupted. -
William Wordsworth becomes poet laureate
In 1842, he was given a government pension and the following year became poet laureate. Wordsworth died on 23 April 1850 and was buried in Grasmere churchyard. His great autobiographical poem, 'The Prelude', which he had worked on since 1798, was published after his death. -
Elizabeth Barrett and Robert Browning elope; during their courtship she writes poems including in Songs from the Portuguese.
On September 12, 1846, while her family was away, Barrett sneaked out of the house and met Browning at St. Marylebone Parish Church, where they were married. She returned home for a week, keeping the marriage a secret, then fled with Browning to Italy. She never saw her father again. -
Charlotte Bronte publishes Jane Eyre; Emily Bronte publishes Wuthering Heights.
Wuthering Heights is a book by Emily Brontë, written between October 1845 and June 1846, and published in 1847 under the pseudonym "Ellis Bell." It was her first and only published novel: she died aged 30 the following year. The decision to publish came after the success of her sister Charlotte's novel, Jane Eyre. After Emily's death, Charlotte edited the manuscript of Wuthering Heights, and arranged for the edited version to be published as a posthumous second edition in 1850. -
Alfred, Lord Tennyson becomes a poet laureate
Born on August 6, 1809, in Somersby, Lincolnshire, England, Alfred Tennyson is one of the most well-loved Victorian poets. Tennyson, the fourth of twelve children, showed an early talent for writing. At the age of twelve he wrote a 6,000-line epic poem. -
In France, Victor Hugo publishes Les Miserables
The fall of Napoleon in 1870 combined with the huge popular success of Les Miserables, published in 1862 meant that he returned to Paris as a people’s hero. On his 79th birthday the public paraded past his Paris apartment for six hours, and two million are said to have joined his funeral procession in 1885. -
Victoria becomes queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
Queen Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India.
