
Known for its advances in literature, industrialization, politics, and science, the Victorian era was a prominent time in British history. However, author Lytton Strachey remembers Queen Victoria as a person instead of just focusing on her accomplishments. First starting with a brief history of her predecessors and origins, Victoria was crowned just as she came of age. Having only been eighteen, Queen Victoria was widely unfamiliar to her subjects when she was coronated. While her advisors and elders attempted to train her for her regal duties and present her to society, Victoria struggled to adjust to her new life. However, after a short period of adjustment, Victoria transformed into an iconic figure, known and celebrated for her elevated sense of morality. In 1840, Victoria married her cousin, Prince Albert, a match arranged by their families. But while Albert brought financial success, he was still unpopular in high society London, unlike his wife, who was growing to be more beloved every day.First published in 1921, Lytton Strachey's Queen Victoria follows the inventive biographical style Strachey created, featuring witty, irreverent prose paired with the focus on human characteristics rather than just their achievements. Told in relation to the prominent figures in each stage of her life, Queen Victoria is an intimate perspective of the legendary ruler. Praised for its accuracy and entertainment, Queen Victoria led Lytton Strachey to be awarded the James Tait Black Memorial Prize, one of the oldest awards in British literature.This edition of Queen Victoria by Lytton Strachey features an eye-catching new cover design and is presented in a font that is both modern and readable. With these accommodations, this edition is accessible and appealing to contemporary audiences, restoring Queen Victoria to modern standards while preserving the original innovation and insight of Lytton Strachey's work.
Lytton Strachey investigates the personal character and private life of Queen Victoria to challenge the traditional, hagiographic portrayals of the monarch prevalent in early 20th-century historiography. Strachey, a central figure of the Bloomsbury Group, utilizes a biographical method that prioritizes psychological insight and ironic detachment over mere chronological record-keeping. By examining the interplay between Victoria’s internal development and the rigid expectations of the British court, the author constructs a narrative that humanizes a figure often reduced to a symbol of imperial stability.
What You Will Find
Scope Limits
Critics and historians recognize this work as a foundational text in the development of modern, psychological biography. Readers frequently note that while the prose is highly readable and witty, the author’s subjective approach reflects the specific literary sensibilities of the early 1920s rather than contemporary academic standards.
Page Count:
256
Publication Date:
1971-01-01
Publisher:
PENGUIN BOOKS
ISBN-10:
014003241X
ISBN-13:
9780140032413
No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!