The novel is set during the Victorian era in England. The Victorian period lasted from around 1820 until 1901, which roughly corresponds with the reign of Queen Victoria (1837-1901), from whom the time period obtained its name. The British Empire grew in global significance during these years as it maintained colonial control over a number of territories such as Scotland, India, and Australia and gained control over 30% of Africa, including Egypt, Kenya, and Sudan. Colonialism and the Industrial Revolution greatly improved the economy and trade of the empire, as mercantilism allowed manufacturers and traders to maximize their exports and minimize their imports. The empire also aided the propagation of British cultural ideals. 

Victorian culture had strong ideas of gender roles that stem from the idea of “separate spheres” dividing men and women. Victorians believed that men and women were meant for different things, most notably that men were meant for the public sphere and women for the private sphere. Men should hold jobs and serve in positions of power, while women should be homemakers and raise children. Men were also believed to have sexual desires, while respectable middle- and upper-class women did not. These beliefs led to differences in the perceptions of men and women, forcing the ideals of chastity and purity onto women, which put severe constraints upon their behavior.