This document summarizes the key characteristics of Victorian literature. It introduces the Victorian era as the period between 1820 and 1914 following the Romantic age. Some of the major characteristics discussed include an emphasis on morality in literature as writers aimed to instruct society, a conflict between religion and new scientific theories like Darwin's theory of evolution, major intellectual developments in fields like photography and technology, the expansion of education especially for women, and the rapid industrialization and growth of steam power during this time period of Queen Victoria's reign.