Eminent Victorians

Eminent Victorians is a book written by Lytton Strachey, first published in 1918. The book is a collection of four biographical essays on prominent figures of the Victorian era, including Cardinal Manning, Florence Nightingale, Thomas Arnold, and General Gordon. Strachey's writing style is characterized by his use of irony, wit, and satire to challenge the traditional view of these historical figures. He presents a critical and often controversial perspective on the lives and achievements of these eminent Victorians. In the essay on Cardinal Manning, Strachey portrays the Cardinal as a manipulative and ambitious figure who used his position in the Catholic Church to further his own personal interests. In the essay on Florence Nightingale, Strachey challenges the popular view of her as a saintly figure, instead portraying her as a demanding and difficult person who was obsessed with her own image. The essay on Thomas Arnold focuses on his role as the headmaster of Rugby School and his influence on the Victorian education system. Strachey portrays Arnold as a man who believed in the importance of character-building and discipline, but also as someone who was deeply flawed and hypocritical. The final essay is on General Gordon, a British military hero who died during the Siege of Khartoum in Sudan. Strachey challenges the traditional view of Gordon as a martyr and instead portrays him as a reckless and misguided figure who was responsible for his own death. Overall, Eminent Victorians is a groundbreaking work of biographical writing that challenged the traditional view of historical figures and paved the way for a more critical and nuanced approach to biography.1918. The famous biographer of the Victorians, Strachey was one of the leading members of the Bloomsbury group. Eminent Victorians is a groundbreaking work of biography that raised the genre to the level of high art. It replaced reverence with skepticism and Strachey's wit, iconoclasm, and narrative skill liberated the biographical enterprise. His portraits of Cardinal Manning, Florence Nightingale, Thomas Arnold, and General Gordon changed perceptions of the Victorians for a generation. See other titles by this author available from Kessinger Publishing.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.