The work of Tom Taylor dates back to 1850-1870, to the time when, after the suppression of the Chartist movement, to replace the socio-political novel of 30-50. and poetry of social pity came, on the one hand, aesthetics, and on the other - sensational literature, reactionary in its class ideology. This literature is characterized by a sharp plot. Taylor's melodramas are extremely typical in this respect. Rich in acute situations, dynamic and spectacular, they did not leave the scene until the last years of the 19th century.
