Imagining England's Past

Inspiration, Enchantment, Obsession

Susan Owens

• Éditeur: Thames and Hudson Ltd
• Année: 2023
• ISBN:
  9780500778296
• Sujet: Geschichte
• Sous-sujet: Britische Geschichte

England has long built its sense of self on visions of its past. What does it mean for medieval writers to summon King Arthur from the post-Roman fog; for William Morris to resurrect the skills of the medieval workshop and Julia Margaret Cameron to portray the Arthurian court with her Victorian camera; or for Yinka Shonibare in the final years of the twentieth century to visualize a Black Victorian dandy? By exploring the imaginations of successive generations, this book reveals how diverse notions of the past have inspired literature, art, music, architecture and fashion. It shines a light on subjects from myths to mock-Tudor houses, Stonehenge to steampunk, and asks how and why the past continues so powerfully to shape the present. Not a history of England, but a history of those who have written, painted and dreamed it into being, Imagining England's Past offers a lively, erudite account of the making and manipulation of the days of old.

Table des matières

• Cover
• Title Page
• About the Author
• Other Titles of Interest
• Contents
• Prologue
• I. Once Upon A Time
• II. The Treasures of Time
• III. Living in the Past
• Plates Section One
• IV. In the Olden Days
• V. Crusades Against the Age
• VI. Nostalgia
• Plates Section Two
• VII. Backing into the Future
• Epilogue
• Notes
• Select Bibliography
• Acknowledgments
• Picture Credits
• Index
• Copyright