Imperium of the soul: The political and aesthetic imagination of Edwardian imperialists (Studies in Imperialism, 144)

Some of the most compelling and enduring creative work of the late Victorian and Edwardian Era came from committed imperialists and conservatives. This book explores the relationship of the artists with conservatism and imperialism, movements that defy easy generalisations in 1899. It does so by examining the work of writers Rudyard Kipling, Joseph Conrad, Rider Haggard and John Buchan along with the composer Edward Elgar and the architect Herbert Baker. The book presents an analysis of their mutual infatuation with T. E. Lawrence, or Lawrence of Arabia, who represented all their dreams for the future British Empire. It also explores the reasons why Lawrence did not, could not, perform the role in which his elder admirers cast him, as creative artist and master statesman of British Empire. Haggard's intrusion into Sigmund Freud's dream world at a critical point in the development of psychoanalytic theory suggests a divergent approach to the novels of imperial adventure. Writing imaginative literature about India as an imperialist enabled Kipling to explore a whole universe of perverse and forbidden pleasures without blowing the top off the volcano. Elgar occupies a higher position in the world of classical music than anyone imagined even at the zenith of his popularity in the Edwardian era. John Buchan mixed art and politics to a greater extent than any British writer, especially with his 'The Loathly Opposite'. The real-life political counterparts of the imperial romance were Britain's experiments with indirect rule from Fiji and Zululand to Nigeria and Tanganyika. Some Of The Most Compelling And Enduring Creative Work Of The Late Victorian And Edwardian Era Came From Committed Imperialists And Conservatives. Their Continuing Popularity Owes A Great Deal To The Way Their Guiding Ideas Resonated With Modernism In The Arts And Psychology. The Analogy They Perceived Between The Imperial Business Of Subjugating Savage Subjects And The Civilised Ego's Struggle To Subdue The Unruly Savage Within Generated Some Of Their Best Artistic Endeavours. In A Series Of Thematically Linked Chapters Imperium Of The Soul Explores The Work Of Writers Rudyard Kipling, Joseph Conrad, Rider Haggard And John Buchan Along With The Composer Edward Elgar And The Architect Herbert Baker. It Culminates With An Analysis Of Their Mutual Infatuation With T. E. Lawrence - Lawrence Of Arabia - Who Represented All Their Dreams For The Future British Empire But Whose Ultimate Paralysis Of Creative Imagination Exposed The Fatal Flaw In Their Psycho-political Project. This Transdisciplinary Study Will Interest Not Only Scholars Of Imperialism And The History Of Ideas But General Readers Fascinated By Bygone Ideas Of Exotic Adventure And Colonial Rule. Machine Generated Contents Note: 1. Rider Haggard, Imperialism And The Layered Personality -- 2. Love And Loathing: Rudyard Kipling's India -- 3. How Herbert Baker Created An Architecture Of Imperial Power -- 4. Joseph Conrad: Kipling's Secret Sharer -- 5. Elgar And The Gordon Symphony -- 6. John Buchan And The Loathly Opposite -- 7. Lawrence Of Arabia: Great White Hope Of The Edwardian Imperial Romancers. Norman Etherington. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Front matter Contents List of Figures Preface and acknowledgements Introduction Rider Haggard, imperialism and the layered personality Love and loathing: Rudyard Kipling’s India How Herbert Baker created an architecture of imperial power Joseph Conrad: Kipling’s secret sharer Elgar and the Gordon Symphony John Buchan and the loathly opposite Lawrence of Arabia: great white hope of the Edwardian imperial romancers Epilogue: the death-knell of the imperial romance and imperial rule Index A new interpretation of the creative work of well known British imperialists of the late nineteenth and early 20th century, exploring their links with the revolutionary psychological theories of Freud. -- .