Eminent Victorians

Key themes

The Nature of Heroism and Greatness

Strachey's central project is to deconstruct traditional, hagiographic notions of heroism. He argues that 'great' figures are not flawless paragons but complex individuals driven by human motivations—ambition, vanity, neuroses—often masked by public piety or perceived altruism. He redefines greatness as a product of intense willpower and sometimes ruthless efficiency, rather than pure moral rectitude.

Victorian Hypocrisy and Morality

Strachey critiques the perceived moral rigidity and underlying hypocrisy of the Victorian age. He exposes the gap between the era's outward earnestness, piety, and respectability, and the often self-serving, ambitious, or even ruthless actions of its leading figures. He highlights how religious conviction could be intertwined with personal ambition, and philanthropy with a need for control.

The Challenges of Historical Interpretation and Biography

Strachey's introductory essay explicitly addresses the difficulties of writing history and biography, particularly when dealing with an abundance of often biased material. He advocates for a more artistic, selective, and interpretive approach, emphasizing the biographer's role in distilling truth and creating a coherent narrative, rather than simply compiling facts. He questions the possibility of objective history, highlighting the biographer's inherent subjectivity.

Worth discussing

How does Strachey's 'artistic convenience' approach to history differ from traditional historical methodology, and what are its strengths and weaknesses?