'England'S Darling' - The Victorian Cult of Alfred the Great (Paperback)

For much of the nineteenth century, King Alfred was as important as King Arthur in the British popular imagination. A pervasive cult of the King developed which included the erection of at least four public statues, the completion of more than twenty-five paintings, and the publication of over a hundred texts, by authors ranging from Wordsworth to minor women writers. By 1852, J.A. Froude could describe Alfred's life as 'the favourite story in English nurseries'; in 1901, a national holiday marked the thousandth anniversary of his death, organised by a committee including Edward Burne Jones, Arthur Conan Doyle and Thomas Hughes. The book examines the ways in which Alfred was rewritten by nineteenth-century authors and artists, and asks how beliefs about the Saxon king's reign and achievements related to nineteenth-century ideals about leadership, law, religion, commerce, education and the Empire. The book concludes by addressing the most interesting enigma in Alfred's reception history: why is the king no longer 'England's darling'? A fascinating study that will be enjoyed by scholars of history, cultural history, literature and art history. -- .

General

Imprint:	Manchester University Press
Country of origin:	United Kingdom
Release date:	May 2014
First published:	2007
Authors:	Joanne Parker (Associate Professor of Victorian Literature and Culture)
Dimensions:	234 x 156 x 15mm (L x W x T)
Format:	Paperback
Pages:	264
ISBN-13:	978-0-7190-7357-1
Categories:	Books > Arts & Architecture > History of art / art & design styles > 1800 to 1900 > General Books > Language & Literature > Literature: history & criticism > Literary studies > 19th century
LSN:	0-7190-7357-X
Barcode:	9780719073571

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