In the Victorian era men were held to the ideal of strength, finances, and the societal class system These ideals were then reinforced through literature, such as in the novels Jane Eyre and Fanny Fern. Victorian novels have often been perceived as grandeur romances; a beautiful English woman falling in love and marrying a rich handsome man. That portrayal of romance is actually a guise of toxic masculinity. Within it lies unbalanced gender roles.