Does the term 'Victorian Era' only refer to Britain from 1837 to 1902 or can it be used beyond Britain for that same period of time?

by MulhollandDrive

Example, my friend said the women "Little Women" took place in the Victorian era even though it's set in the states. I felt like Victorian Era strictly referred to England and surrounding countries during that period of time, which is correct?

mhbeals

The term 'Victorian' can be rightly applied to any part of the British Empire (far, far beyond England) during Victoria's reign. Popularly, the term has also been applied to the United States, but this is incorrect and should not be used unless you are making a particular point about Anglo-American relations. Also, literary and historical studies use different terms to refer to similar periods. For example, Romantic literature aligns (roughly) to Georgian Britain, the Early Republic and Antebellum period of American History and the Revolutionary, Napoleonic and the Bourbon Restoration periods of France. In literature studies, Romanticism also overlaps (in the US) with Transcendentalism and later Realism. Little Women, therefore, should not be referred to as Victorian as it is the wrong geographical location and disciplinary term.