Women and Literature in Britain 1800-1900 by Joanne Shattock
An excellent companion to British women's writing of the 19th century. The contributors come at the topic from a fascinating variety of directions, treating not just poets and novelists, but also journalists, translators, editors, biographers, autobiographers, and playwrights.
''Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are.' Cool begins her fascinating study of eating and drinking in Roman Britain with this quotation from Brillat-Savarin. By the end of the book, the reader has been provided with a mass of detailed archaeological evidence, laid out with admirable clarity, from which to make an informed attempt to judge for themselves 'who the Roman Britons were.' The Journal of Classics Teaching
The 20th century saw ordinary Britons upturning ancient power structures and class hierarchies. The catalyst was the First World War, which embroiled the whole nation and called traditional values into question. The result was an ever-growing democratisation of culture, with art coming off gallery walls, becoming an instrument of self-expression at the service of the individual. David Dimbleby looks at some of the great masterworks of modern British art, but also champions lesser appreciated art forms like broadcasting and domestic design.
The story of the British Empire from 1750 to 1900, revealed through its art and treasures. David Dimbleby travels through Britain, America and India, tracing the descent from adventure and inspiration into moral bankruptcy as the Empire became a self-serving bureaucratic machine.
David Dimbleby charts a landmark history of Britain’s greatest art and artefacts over 2000 years in Seven Ages of Britain. Produced in partnership with The Open University, Seven Ages of Britain looks at our extraordinary past through the Arts - both as treasures that have often played a decisive part in events and as marvels of their age.