The Queen's Comments

It is very interesting what the Great Exhibition did for marketing and globalization. It may have even shaped the way competition and capitalism is addressed.

competitive

Granted, there has always been competition among the human race, however it is evident in the queen's journal that there is an underlying competitive nature throughout the exhibition.

The queen writes "...and many things fit to compete with the French" (20) and "...gold brocades from Moscow, which beat the French" (21).

Maybe the queen is just obsessed with beating the French. ?

The queen also writes, curiously, "some of the inventions were very ingenious, many of them quite Utopian" (22). I'm not sure what's up with that. I'm guessing most of the inventions that were exhibited in the Crystal Palace were inventions that we now have today, however I can't figure out which ones she would consider "Utopian."

Another interesting, yet hardly surprising, part of the queen's journal is her love for Albert. She constantly calls him "my beloved." I actually feel like she is trying to brag about him. She writes, "...for the greater part of which they have to thank my beloved husband" (22). From my understanding, Albert was not readily welcomed into England when he first married the queen. After the great success of the exhibition, I think things changed and the people of England began to respect and love Albert. It seems the queen is just making sure everyone knows that he was the reason this all came into play.

Interesting Fact
The Hope Diamond was exhibited at the Crystal Palace.



[Victorian Literature]