ABSTRACT
Although autobiography demands self-examination, not all Victorians were comfortable with confession. By the middle of the century, the romantic poets' concern with self seemed excessive and dangerous. Byron, Shelley, and (especially) their followers appeared paralyzed by depression and inward focus, whereas the Victorians saw themselves as doers as well as thinkers. However, because evangelical religion stressed self-examination and the eighteenth-century psychological novel emphasized motivation, Victorian autobiographers felt compelled to explain themselves and offer reasons for their behavior or beliefs.
