The+Edwardian+Period


 * 1901-1914 ** The Edwardian Period

By: Mariel McLaughlin

The Edwardian Period: This era of literature is named after King Edward VII, due to the fact that he reigned in England during this period. This period represents the years 1901 to 1914. During this time period, the country of England experiences great changes in the fields of science, economics, and society. Wars, advances in science, and changes in the economy greatly influenced the works, which often consist of the concerns about society and standing. The Edwardian Era works still contain traces of the Victorian style and were not quite as modernized as future works. The Edwardian age is seen as the “transitional, bridging” of the two previously stated eras.

"Edwardian Literature." //Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism//. Ed. Thomas J. Schoenberg and Lawrence J. Trudeau. Vol. 186. Detroit: Gale, 2007. //Literature Resource Center//. Web. 2 Apr. 2012. Document URL []

Poem: Convergence of the Twain By: Thomas Hardy

As the IIn a solitude of the sea Deep from human vanity, And the Pride of Life that planned her, stilly couches she. II Steel chambers, late the pyres Of her salamandrine fires, Cold currents thrid, and turn to rhythmic tidal lyres. III Over the mirrors meant To glass the opulent The sea-worm crawls--grotesque, slimed, dumb, indifferent. IV Jewels in joy designed To ravish the sensuous mind Lie lightless, all their sparkles bleared and black and blind. V Dim moon-eyed fishes near Gaze at the gilded gear And query: "What does this vaingloriousness down here?". . . VI Well: while was fashioning This creature of cleaving wing,T he Immanent Will that stirs and urges everything VII Prepared a sinister mate For her--so gaily great-- A Shape of Ice, for the time fat and dissociate. VIII And as the smart ship grew In stature, grace, and hue In shadowy silent distance grew the Iceberg too. IX Alien they seemed to be: No mortal eye could see The intimate welding of their later history. X Or sign that they were bent By paths coincident On being anon twin halves of one August event, XI Till the Spinner of the YearsSaid "Now!" And each one hears, And consummation comes, and jars two hemispheres.

Hardy, Thomas. “The Convergence Of The Twain.” __Poetry X__. Ed. Jough Dempsey. 25 Aug 2003. 03 Apr. 2012 .

Critical Article on "Convergence of Twain": Thomas Hardy’s “Convergence of Twain” is an ironic story telling of the //Titanic// sinking on April 14, 1912. Hardy completed this poem less than two weeks after the sinking. This poem falls under the category of “occasional” poetry, which means poems for a special occasion. The poem has a unique form, consisting of eleven tercets. According to this critic, the Roman numerals indicate a tone of formality and care. Hardy also employs an interesting metrical pattern. It is iambic for the most part. In the first tercet, Hardy gives the setting, theme, and situation described throughout the remainder of the poem. The next five stanzas demonstrate the rising tension before the ship sinks. A shift occurs half way through the poem. The first half is formal and it shifts to informal. Also, the first five are present tense and the next five are past and the final stanza present. This further emphasizes the climax of the poem, which occurs in the final stanza.

Dauner, Louise. "Thomas Hardy, Yet and Again." //Modern Age// 42.4 (Fall 2000): 358-371. Rpt. in //Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism//. Ed. Janet Witalec. Vol. 143. Detroit: Gale, 2004. //Literature Resource Center//. Web. 2 Apr. 2012. Document URL http://go.galegroup.com.portal.lib.fit.edu/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CH1420055755&v=2.1&u=melb26933&it=r&p=LitRC&sw=w

The Edwardian Period was the time in the United Kingdom with the reign of King Edward VII from 1901-1914. This period was marked with occurence such as the Titanic and the start of WW1. Durung this era the society, arts, and science were all evolving.It was an era when social differences disperced and customs, and expectations of society came together. Edwardian age experienced new-found wealth and indulged in cuisine, fashion, entertainment and travel as never before.
 * The Edwardian Period**
 * By: Alyssa Wallace**

"Eras of Elegance - The Edwardian Era (1901-1919)." //Eras of Elegance//. Web. 02 Apr. 2012. [].

Poem:

Cliche Came Out of its Cage C.S. Lewis

1

You said 'The world is going back to Paganism'. Oh bright Vision! I saw our dynasty in the bar of the House Spill from their tumblers a libation to the Erinyes, And Leavis with Lord Russell wreathed in flowers, heralded with flutes, Leading white bulls to the cathedral of the solemn Muses To pay where due the glory of their latest theorem. Hestia's fire in every flat, rekindled, burned before The Lardergods. Unmarried daughters with obedient hands Tended it By the hearth the white-armd venerable mother //Domum servabat, lanam faciebat//. at the hour Of sacrifice their brothers came, silent, corrected, grave Before their elders; on their downy cheeks easily the blush Arose (it is the mark of freemen's children) as they trooped, Gleaming with oil, demurely home from the palaestra or the dance. Walk carefully, do not wake the envy of the happy gods, Shun Hubris. The middle of the road, the middle sort of men, Are best. Aidos surpasses gold. Reverence for the aged Is wholesome as seasonable rain, and for a man to die Defending the city in battle is a harmonious thing. Thus with magistral hand the Puritan Sophrosune Cooled and schooled and tempered our uneasy motions; Heathendom came again, the circumspection and the holy fears ... You said it. Did you mean it? Oh inordinate liar, stop.

2

Or did you mean another kind of heathenry? Think, then, that under heaven-roof the little disc of the earth, Fortified Midgard, lies encircled by the ravening Worm. Over its icy bastions faces of giant and troll Look in, ready to invade it. The Wolf, admittedly, is bound; But the bond will break, the Beast run free. The weary gods, Scarred with old wounds the one-eyed Odin, Tyr who has lost a hand, Will limp to their stations for the Last defence. Make it your hope To be counted worthy on that day to stand beside them; For the end of man is to partake of their defeat and die His second, final death in good company. The stupid, strong Unteachable monsters are certain to be victorious at last, And every man of decent blood is on the losing side. Take as your model the tall women with yellow hair in plaits Who walked back into burning houses to die with men, Or him who as the death spear entered into his vitals Made critical comments on its workmanship and aim. Are these the Pagans you spoke of? Know your betters and crouch, dogs; You that have Vichy water in your veins and worship the event Your goddess History (whom your fathers called the strumpet Fortune).

Lewis, C. S. "Cliche Came Out of Its Cage." //Poemhunter.com//. Poem Hunter, 1 Jan. 2004. Web. 2 Apr. 2012. [].

Critical Article on C.S. Lewis

Many scholars of English literature consider Lewis's literary criticism, particularly //The Allegory of Love// and //English Literature in the Sixteenth Century, Excluding Drama// (1954) to be among the finest commentaries on medieval literature in existence. Lewis's religious essays earned him enormous popular recognition and a number of critics echoed this sentiment, praising his extraordinary ability to use witty language, colloquialisms, anecdotes and simple metaphors to make moral precepts and theological issues easily comprehensible to lay persons from varied backgrounds. Though some religious critics fault Lewis for failing to construct a comprehensive theological framework for his beliefs, Lewis often stressed that he did not claim to be a theologian. He wanted to explore and explain religious issues that confronted ordinary people, and most thinkers of the time felt he accomplished that goal quite well. Some critics considered Lewis's work too imitative of other writers. His essays owe a great literary debt to Chesterton, whose work was instrumental in Lewis's conversion to Christianity, while the inspiration for //The Pilgrim's Regress// came directly from Bunyan's //Pilgrim's Progress//. Lewis's fiction was generally well received by critics. Though his science fiction trilogy is more "fiction" than "science," his ability to combine myth and religious archetypes into a compelling narrative generally pleased reviewers. While some reviewers reserved the most praise for the last and most ambitious installment of the trilogy, //That Hideous Strength//, others felt it reached too far and became mired in the moral framework Lewis constructed to tell his story. Devotees of children's literature consider "The Chronicles of Narnia" one of the finest fantasies ever created. Although some critics, including Lewis's friend and "Lord of the Rings" author Tolkien, disliked Lewis's use in Narnia of a pastiche of Western characters from Greek mythological figures to St. George to Father Christmas, most critics praise Lewis's inventive retelling of Christian stories. In "C. S. Lewis and the Tradition of Visionary Romance," John D. Haigh regards Lewis as an author of classic romances rather than a novelist proper. According to Haigh, "the limitations of story do not preclude memorable moments in which the visionary romance succeeds in illuminating our inner being and its divine context. At these moments the romance enters regions of experience which are normally closed to the mundane patterns of the realistic novel." Lewis's contributions to the world of mythical and fantasy literature and his extensive writings on Christian theology make him a respected and controversial author in contemporary literary circles.

"C.S. Lewis." //Enotes.com//. Enotes.com, 23 Jan. 2012. Web. 02 Apr. 2012. [].