Imagining England's Past: Inspiration, Enchantment, Obsession

by Susan Owens

Imagining England’s Past explores England’s national myths, from the glamorous to the disturbing, and from the eighth century to the present day. England has long built its sense of self on its past. What does it mean for Geoffrey of Monmouth to call forth 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 using her Victorian camera? Told through the distinctive imaginings of successive generations, this book considers how and why national myths have come into being, the multitude of forms they have taken, and what centuries of looking back might mean for the present and future. More than three hundred voices are featured from over thirteen centuries, from Beowulf, Walter Scott, and Queen Victoria to Pauline Boty and Lubaina Himid. Not a history of England, but a history of those who have written, drawn, and dreamed it into being, Imagining England’s Past offers a lively, erudite account of the creation and narration of the English past. 25 color and 71 black-and-white illustrations

Genres: History, Nonfiction

320 pages, Hardcover

Published June 6, 2023

Reviews

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

crazy crazy crazy how we are always looking back, with new angles, new eyes, new purposes. every chapter was so different and always had something I found inspiring and meaningful, and often an element or person or figure or landscape I was familiar with that I could be plunged into anew. now I'm certainly going to have to embark on more peter ackroyd books after they kept popping up here. serendipity at its finest

highly recommend for a breath of fresh old air and if you think it's funny when people lie