Imagining England's Past: Inspiration, Enchantment, Obsession

England Has Long Built Its Sense Of Self On Visions Of Its Past. What Does It Mean For Medieval Writers To Summon 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 With Her Victorian Camera; Or For Yinka Shonibare In The Final Years Of The Twentieth Century To Visualize A Black Victorian Dandy? 00by Exploring The Imaginations Of Successive Generations, This Book Reveals How Diverse Notions Of The Past Have Inspired Literature, Art, Music, Architecture And Fashion. It Shines A Light On Subjects From Myths To Mock-tudor Houses, Stonehenge To Steampunk, And Asks How ? And Why ? The Past Continues So Powerfully To Shape The Present. Not A History Of England, But A History Of Those Who Have Written, Painted And Dreamed It Into Being, Imagining England's Past Offers A Lively, Erudite Account Of The Making And Manipulation Of The Days Of Old. Prologue -- Once Upon A Time -- The Treasures Of Time -- Living In The Past -- In The Olden Days -- Crusages Against The Age -- Nostalgia -- Backing Into The Future -- Epilogue. Susan Owens. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 270-292) And Index.