Portland Public Library

The age of decadence, a history of Britain : 1880-1914, Simon Heffer

eng

Includes bibliographical references (pages 827-838) and index

illustrationsplates

index present

non fiction

The age of decadence

bibliography

1244169868

Simon Heffer

a history of Britain : 1880-1914

"The folk memory of Britain in the years before the Great War is of a powerful, contented, orderly and thriving country. She commanded a vast empire. She bestrode international commerce. Her citizens were living longer, profiting from civil liberties their grandparents only dreamt of, and enjoying an expanding range of comforts and pastimes. The mood of pride and self-confidence is familiar from Elgar's Pomp and Circumstance marches, newsreels of George V's coronation and the London's great Edwardian palaces. Yet things were very different below the surface. In 'The Age of Decadence' Simon Heffer exposes the contradictions of late-Victorian and Edwardian Britain"--Provided by publisher

Introduction -- Prologue: Swagger -- The world of the late Victorians. The decline of the Pallisers ; The rise of the Pooters ; The worker's struggle -- Coming storms. Imperial tensions ; Ireland ; The death of God ; The civilising mission ; Protecting women -- Public debates, public doubts. The future ; Nostalgia ; Imperial consequences ; Art and life ; The uses of literacy -- Strife. Men and power ; Dukes and dreadnoughts ; The great unrest ; Votes for women ; Rebellion -- Envoi: One afternoon of heat

adult