Robert Ratcliffe Taylor

Broschiertes Buch

Imperial Eden

Victoria BC in Verse c. 1858-1920

Beschreibung

"Imperial Eden" is a collection of poems written mainly by citizens of Victoria, British Columbia, in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries about that city. Established in 1843 as a Hudson's Bay Company trading post, Victoria became the capital of the province in 1866. Before the opening of the Panama Canal and the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway, however, its inhabitants were relatively isolated from the rest of North America. The city's beautiful location and its semi-Mediterranean climate inspired visitors, locals, and poets to describe it as a "paradise". But this remote "Eden", surrounded by mountains, forest and the sea, was deeply loyal to Great Britain, believing that its far-flung empire was the repository of "freedom" and many civic and moral virtues. As well, local writers exhibited a militarism usually associated with Prussia. Eager to defend the British Empire, many of its citizens enthusiastically supported England in the remote South African War (1899-1902) and volunteered for service in the Great War (1914-18). Both wars were seen as a defence of decency and civilization embodied by Britain.This book shows how local poets lauded the beauty, the Britishness of Victoria and the imperial connection, but also how, confronted with the realities of modern warfare, their loyalty to the Empire waned c. 1920.

Autor

The author was born and educated in Victoria, BC. After attending Willows School and Oak Bay Junior and Senior High Schools, he studied at the University of Victoria (Victoria College), the University of British Columbia (B.A. History and English; M.A. History), Hamburg University, and Stanford University (Ph.D. History). In St. Catharines, Ontario, he taught European History at Brock University, where he is Professor emeritus. He has published in German architectural history and the history of St. Catharines and Victoria and has co-authored books and articles on the Welland Canals. He was a co-founder of the Welland Canals Preservation Association and founding secretary of the Canadian Canal Society. (He is an Honorary Gongoozler of Port Colborne, Ontario.) He served on St. Catharines' Local Architecture Conservation Advisory Committee, supported Heritage St Catharines and was active in the Niagara Opera Guild and Torch International. "Retiring" to Victoria, he has worked as a docent at the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria and has continued to be interested in the Welland Canals and local and architectural history. Two of his articles on Victoria's history have won prizes.

Produktdetails

• Verlag: Trafford Publishing
• Seitenzahl: 304
• Erscheinungstermin: 14. November 2014
• Englisch
• Abmessung: 229mm x 152mm x 16mm
• Gewicht: 443g
• ISBN-13: 9781490750033
• ISBN-10: 1490750037
• Artikelnr.: 41856218