Question

For decades, the architectural consensus regarded Victorian gothic revivalism not as a genuine aesthetic philosophy, but as a bloated, histrionic deviation from classical restraint. Critics wrote of its 'gargoyles of self-indulgence' and dismissed its asymmetrical brickwork as the physical manifestation of nineteenth-century moral anxiety. Yet, to categorize this movement as mere decorative hysteria is to overlook its underlying democratic impulse. The architects of the revival were not seeking to replicate medieval feudalism; rather, they sought to disrupt the sterile, industrial uniformity that had begun to choke the Victorian cityscape. By reintroducing handmade textures, soaring arches, and whimsical ornamentation, they championed the individual craftsman over the factory mold. If their designs appeared frantic, it was the desperation of artists trying to rescue the human soul from the cogs of progress.

Which of the following best characterizes the author's attitude toward the Victorian gothic revivalist architects?