English Literature & Translation Course 2022/2023

The Edwardians – Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea

The past is a foreign country: they do things differently there. Thus begins L.P. Hartley’s perhaps best-known novel 'The Go-Between'.

This opening line so aptly describes the Edwardian era; the last era in British history to be named after the ruling monarch. It lasted little more than a decade marking the beginning of the 20^th Century - an era that began with the death of Queen Victoria. It has been described as a leisurely time when women wore large hats but did not vote; when the sun never set on the British Empire. It was an era that took not only its name, but much of its character from Edward VII. And he was a very different character to his mother. In contrast to the strict moral codes of Victoria, Edward loved the luxuries of life. It was an era that ended with an apocalypse they called The Great War. 

The following titles were read in preparation of the individual sessions and discussed in class:

• The Edwardians by Vita Sackville-West
• Statues in a Garden by Isabel Colegate
• Selected Stories by Saki by Saki
• The Shrimp and the Anemone by L.P. Hartley
• This Real Night by Rebecca West
• The Good Soldier by Ford Madox Ford