Interesting. I'd not thought of it in terms of "Victorian" era fantasy. Is that a real thing within the historiography of high fantasy? In the literary world? I've no idea. Historiography would indicate that authors being influenced by their current culture and times would tend to write in a certain manner. Yet you have someone like Le Guin who writes the Earthsea series (world creation high fantasy) and her's ticks backwards towards Tolkien in terms of style and content.

PS: I'd not thought of it but your point about the darkness of Sapkowski's writing being similar to Grimm fairy tale's grim (no pun) nature seem's spot on. Sapkowski is from Poland that Grimms' were from central Deutchland but I suppose both could be influenced by dark Teutonic nature.

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Steve