Namangan davlat universiteti ingliz filologiyasi fakulteti amaliy ingliz tili kafedrasi

the Edwardian period.
Despite the brevity of the Edwardian period, it saw the deve-
lopment of a national conscience that expressed itself in important social legislation (including the 
first old-age pensions). It laid the groundwork for the English welfare state.
On the other hand, the second half of the 19th century in England gave rise to a rapid growth
of social contradictions. These contradictions found their reflection in literature, too. It was 
reflected in literature by the appearance of different trends. A great number of writers continued the 
realistic traditions of their predecessors. It was represented by such writers as George Meredith, 
Samuel Butler, Thomas Hardy. These novelists gave a truthful picture of the contemporary society. 
The writers of another trend, by way of protest against severe reality, tried to lead the reader 
away from life into the world of dreams and fantasy, into the realm of beauty. They idealized the 
patriarchal way of life and criticized the existing society chiefly for its antiaesthetism. Russian 
literary critics called them 
decadents.
( English and American literary critics call them 
the writers 
belonging to the Aesthetic trend ). 
The decadent art, or the art belonging to the aesthetic trend 
appreciated the outer form of art more than the content. 
Though the decadent writers saw the vices of the surrounding world, and in some of their 
works we find a truthful and critical description of contemporary life, on the whole their inner 
world lacks depth. They were firm in their opinion that it was impossible to better the world 
and conveyed the idea that everyone must strive for his own private happiness, avoid suffering 
and enjoy life at all costs. The decadent writers created their own cult of beauty and proclaimed 
the theory of “pure art”; their motto was “art for art’s sake”. (Oscar Wilde, John Ruskin).
Besides, the end of the 19th century also created writers who were interested in human 
society as a whole (B.Shaw, J.Galsworthy), and a new type of writer who was preoccupied with the 
future of mankind (Herbert Wells).