The reign of Queen Victoria spanned from 1837 to 1901 and is recognized as a significant turning point for humanity socially, culturally and historically. Sparked by the Industrial Revolution, social and political ideologies began to be challenged by all facets of society from intellectuals and the emergent bourgeoisie, to the underprivileged proletariat and peasantry. Efforts to create change were symptomatic of this resistance, attempting to undermine the rigid and repressive rule of the Monarchy that had politically constituted England since the Renaissance. The aristocracy had an integral bond with the Church, and used this tie in an attempt to establish their hegemonic control over society. Therefore, by taking an avant-garde approach, the works of Browning form resistance to the repression that occurred in Victorian society.

As a result of this non-conformism the notions of individualism were subtly introduced into society via intellectual circles. One of these prolific intellectuals was the...