 In my research I have discovered how popular nineteenth century Literature was in its day. It was overwhelmingly liked and became very important during the Victorian Era and years to come. Many varieties and styles of writing flourished among the authors of this period. In the early part of the century, at times, ladies had been discouraged from reading and it was often condemned for them to do so. But by the mid 1800's Mark Twain, Walt Whitman, Thoreau, Emily Dickenson, Edgar Allen Poe, Longfellow, Melville, Washington Irving, Charles Dickens, Thackeray, Collins, Victor Hugo, and Charlotte Bronte had become popular reading material and everyone was reading them.
19th Century American Literature
 Many different forms of writing had entertained the Victorians. There was Poetry, Novels, Romantic Literature, Science-Fiction, Gothic, Southwestern Humor, Naturalism, Realism, and Transcendalism writings. An example of but a few. All of these have significant differences from each other. Below I will expound on some of these forms of writing and elaborate on some of the most widely known authors of the 19th century and list some of Literature's classics both American and English.
 Naturalism was a method of writing where the application of methods of science was philosophically used to describe humans. Through this method writers felt they could further understand human beings. Naturalistic authors attempted to explain human's behavior by their hereditary traits or the very environment people were raised.
 Transcendentalism during the middle of the 19th century became an influence on philosophy and literature. Webster's Dictionary defines transcendentalism as a philosophy that ultimate reality is completely unknown and that the spiritual is over the empirical and material. It was based on reality as one unitary organic whole. It also emphasized the importance of God and the existence of God in one's mind. One of the most widely known authors to have wrote under this category was Ralph Waldo Emmerson.
 Ralph Waldo Emmerson (1803-1882) was a unitarian transcendentalist, lecturer, philosopher, and a Unitarian Minister. He may be a celebrated author today but in his day he was looked at a bit strangely. As a young poet he questioned Christianity then later wrote as a unitarian transcendentalist. However new this philosophy was at the time several authors adopted it. Henry David Thoreau, Margaret Fuller, Harriet Martinea, and Bronson Alcott are but a few. Some of the following are Emmerson's works:"Nature" (1836); "The American Scholar" (1837); "The Divinity School Address" (1838); "The Transcendentalist" (1842); "Self-Reliance" (1854).
 The Gothic Romance novels were very popular during the early nineteenth century. These novels had a dark tone setting in a castle with squeaky doors and lots of mystery, even hauntings, and at times a very incredible horror. Some gothic stories do without the castles, knights, and dungeons, yet are placed in a dark atmosphere with incredulous stories filled with violence and insane characters. Mary Shelley would fall in this catagory among others.
Courtesy of Virginia Cope's Huckleberry Finn Project at the University of Virginia's E-text Library
Some writings contained elements of Southwestern humor. These writings were witty and intellectual and written for an intended audience of educated men. Mark Twain's (1835-1910) stories fit in this catagory. Mark Twain became popular with these stories. "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" (1867); "The Innocents Abroad"; "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer"; "Life on the Mississippi"; "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn"; "The Prince and the Pauper"; "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court" (1889); "Pudd'nhead Wilson"; "Those extraordinary Twins"
 Novels take a group of people and puts them in their settings; then builds the development of their character and personality realistically. Novels exhibit reality in great detail. A lot of time goes into expounding the character's relationship to others, to their nature, and to their surroundings. In novels, the development of the character is far more important than having action or adventure.
 Romance novels increased in popularity during the 19th century. They dealt less with the development of character and concentrated on action and adventure. These stories often wrapped around overwhelming events sometimes rather fantastic and not so believeable. That is what set them apart from a typical novel. Authors of romance were freer with fantasy and concentrated more on action.
Courtesy of Paul P. Reuben
It was said that Emily Dickinson,(1830-1886), rarely left her home, after her father's death. There were a few people who did have a great impact on her. And these people affected the way she wrote. However isolated she was, she did maintain a correspondence with her friends and family. Her poetry reflected her Puritan background and interest in Metaphysical poetry of the 17th century. She was also inclined to some of the transcendental teachings of the times. Her writings revealed how lonely she was and how she felt about death. But there were glimpses of hope in her writings. She was not so acclaimed while yet alive but after her death her work become known. She was known to have a unique and an abundantly productive style of verse in her poetry.
 Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882) was a popular modern poet from Portland Maine. He was very committed to his literary career and was generally known. Longfellow's poems worked well with readers because of the easy flow of rhyme and verse. They were easy to understand and about common themes that the readers could relate to. His poems appealed to many. He was one of the first authors to have written about Native America in " Song of Hiawatha". He had sold many copies of his works. Queen Victoria had invited him to Windsor castle and was called upon by the Prince of Wales. He was probably one of the most loved American poets. Some of his works are: "Voices of the Night" (1839); "Ballads and other Poems" (1841); "The Spanish Student" (1843); "The Belfry of Bruges and other Poems" (1846); "Evangeline" (1847); "The Seaside and the Fireside" (1849); "The Golden Legend" (1851); "The Song of Hiawatha" (1855) are but a few.
Edgar Allen Poe (1809-1848) was a most compelling writer in his day. His short stories and poems are still enjoyed by many. Poe's readers were captivated by thrills and chilling suspense. He made the reader feel the wrenching horror. Some of his short stories were much like detective novels introducing formulas of mystery. Here are a few of his notable works of genius. "Lenore" (1831); "Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket" (1837) "The Fall of the House of Usher" (1839); "The Murders in Rue Morgue" (1841); "The Pit and the Pendulum" (1842); "The Tell-Tale Heart" (1843); "The Raven" (1845); "To Helen"; "The Bells"; "The Masque of the Red Death"
 Melville wrote realistically for his readers. His stories were descriptive and full of life and depth. Some viewed him as not a scholarly man but he had a keen intellect and a very warm spirit as some of his friends and fellow colleagues had noted in letters or journals. He had a persistence to keep on writing even when things did not look up for him. Unfortunately his health deteriorated with age and he discontinued writing early on. He was not an ordinary poet. But he wrote about what he knew with wonderful reality. Here are some of his writings: Benito; Typee 1846; Benito Cereno; Billy Budd An Inside Narrative; The Confidence-Man; The Encantadas; The Lightening-Rod Man; Moby Dick 1851; The Pizza Tales; Hawthorne and His Moses 1850
 Nathaniel Hawthorne born in 1804 was born in Salem Massachusettes. He became friend to fellow colleague Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and Franklin Pierce the 14th president of the United States. Hawthorne was a firm believer in transcendentalism as a few of his fellow colleagues were. He did exercise some of his beliefs. But first and foremost his writing took priority. His writings were: Twice Told Tales 1837; The Whole History of Grandfather's Chair 1840; Mosses from an Old Manse 1846; The Scarlet Letter 1850; The House of the Seven Gables 1851; A Wonderbook for Girls and Boys 1852; The Life of Franklin Pierce 1852; The Blithedale Romance 1852; Tanglewood Tales 1853; The Marble Faun 1860; Chiefly About War Matters. 1862
 Washington Irving was an American author, essayist, and short story writer. Although he may be known mostly for Rip Van Winkle, and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Little Britain, Old Christmas, and Captain Bonneville, other written works stand out as well. He spent time studying the Natives of America scouting the Prairies to view the Indians up close. He wrote about this in The Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon 1820; A Tour of the Prairies 1835; and Astoria 1836.
 Walt Whitman wrote about his country and democracy and about "the good will of all mankind". He wrote many editions of Leaves of Grass 1855-1891. Drum Taps 1865 and Sequal to Drum Taps 1865; Passage To India 1870; and Goodbye My Fancy 1891. Among his Prose were:Franklin Evans 1842; Democratic Vistas 1871; Memoranda During the War 1875; Specimen Days and Collect 1881; November Boughs 1888; and Complete Prose Works 1892.
19th Century English Literature
*****
 Charlotte Bronte a successful poet and teacher authored these poems:Pilate's Wife's Dream; Momentos; The Wife's Will; The Wood; Francos; Gilbert; Life; The Letter; Regret; Presentiment; The Teacher's Monologue; Passion; Preference; Evening Solace; Stanzas; Parting; Apostasy; Winter Stores;and The Missionary. Charlotte's sisters Anne and Emily also enjoyed success as poets.
*****
 Lewis Carrol's writings were whimsical, fascinating, and incredulous. But amongst all the mingled words and twisted scenery a simplistic logic lurking in the shadows could sometimes make itself known. He was a Mathematician and teacher. He wrote of logic and of paradox. He is mostly known forAlice In Wonderland; Through The Looking Glass; Phantasmagoria; The Haunting Of The Snork; Rhyme and Reason; A Tangled Tale; The Game Of Logic; Sylvie and Bruno; A Logical Paradox; Symbolic Logic (Part I:Elementary) and (Part II)Advanced; Three Sunsets.
*****
 Charles Dickens is one of my all time favorite 19th century writers. I have always enjoyed his close to life stories. Stories that could reflect his own life. Stories that implemented a moral. The following is a list of most of his writings.Sketches by Boz (1836); Oliver Twist (1837); Nicholas Nickleby (1838); Master Humphrey's Clock (1840); The Old Curiosity Shop (1840-41); Barnaby Rudge (1841); Martin Chuzzlewit (1843-44); A Christmas Carol (1844); The Chimes (1844); The Cricket and the Hearth (1845); Pictures From Italy (1846); Donbey and Son (1847-48); The Battle of Life (1848); The Haunted Man (1848); David Copperfield (1850); Bleak House (1851); Little Dorrit (1855-57); The Frozen Deep (1856); Tale of Two Cities (1859-60); Our Mutual Friend (1864-65); The Mystery of Edwin Drood (unfinished)(1869-70).
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William Thackeray was a successful British author. He published in many magazines and papers throughout his writing career. Among his writings are: The Irish Sketchbook (1843); From Cornhill to Cairo (1846); Vanity Fair (1847-48); The Book Of Snobs (1848); The History of Pendennis (1848-50); The History of Henry Esmond (1852); The Newcomes (1853-55); The Virginians, The Adventures of Philip on His Way Through The World, Lovell the Widower (1855-57); Denis Duval (Unfinished Novel)(1863).
*****
 Robert Louis Stevenson's writings were rich. His stories fed the imagination and at the same time gave a cold look at reality. He was versatile in his material giving his readers access to many styles of writing whether it be novels, short stories, poems, romances, travelogues, or plays. "Treasure Island" was his first real widespread success. It was also his first full volume-length fictional narrative. It was the writing that brought him popularity and had proved profitable to his career. Some of his stories include the following: An Inland Voyage (1878); Travels with a Donkey In Cevennes (1879); The Amateur Emigrant (1879-80); Virginibus Puerisque (1881); The Silverado Squatters (1883); A Lodging For The Night (1877); The Sire De Maletroits Door (1877); Providence and The Guitar (1878); New Arabian Nights (1882); Thrawn Janet (1881); The Merry Men (1882); Treasure Island (1883); The Treasure of Franchard (1883); The Black Arrow (1883); Markheim (1885); Olalla (1885); The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1886); Island Nights' Entertainments (1893); Bottle Imp (1891); The Beach of Falesa (1892); The Isle of Voices (1893); Child's Garden of Verses (1885); Kidnapped (1886); Catriona (1893).
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