In the 1800's Britain was a brand new nation facing brand new challenges. At the end of the 1700's Britain had just fought Netherlands for control of the English channel, set up a new empire in India, America, Africa, and Australia. She was flexing her new muscles at sea, stretching her new professional army, providing a new outlook for those searching for Life, Liberty, and the other ideas in freedom. But by the end of the 1800's they had lost the first of many colonies, found themselves alone facing the new threat of Napoleon's new army that had just finished overrunning most nations in Europe. They had developed a whole new national identity in the face of these many obstacles.
"Rue Britannia" A song that represented the whole new idea developed around the ideals created by a new power with new strengths.
These new ideas are often reflected on and in the writings of the British Authors. Much more do we find the influences of not only the new ideas, but the effects of this change in the British physic. You get the whole idea that many of the writers in poetry not liking many of these changes as Britain moved towards not just industrialization but war as well. often you get these shouts out against the changes. In all of the poems you get this sense that some of them dislike these changes, until we get Napoleon stepping onto the stage.
But all of this aside, what we see is this new idea, an idea of both exploration and reassessing their roots, stepping forward while looking back, these new ideas, helping to redefine what it means to be British.
I think it is interesting that there always seems to be mixed feelings once a country begins to make changes. We see this in not only the British Empire but in the United States. Authors and writers seem try to write about these muxed feelings and then I feel like a new genre or form is created out of it. It will be an experience to look back on where we are at today in 30+ years and see what has emerged from our nations changes.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoy that you discuss the newness of the nation, which would be a contributing factor on the writing of the time. Also,I love your mention of Rule Britannia, not only because I love the lyrics which show a sort of arrogance of the British, but because it really displays the strong and courageous nation that Britain had become. I think you make a great point and love that you illustrate the nature of this country during this time, it allows us to understand why people were writing the way they were.
ReplyDeleteYou make a really great point, about the "newness" that the country is experiencing at this time and it makes a point to suppport that some people either praised it or were more apprehensive about the new ways that were coming into the country. We can learn or see this in a history class, yet because of teh nature of this class we are getting to learn about it through the use of literature and I think that is really cool because as the readers we are getting to see more than just the facts or one side of the story. Your blog helps put the collaboration of the history and the literature together as one and it explains it well! :)
ReplyDelete