The Edwardian Temperament, 1895-1919

xiv, 275, [3] pp. "This interdisciplinary study "points out the connections and parallels among developments in literature, the arts, philosophy, science, social thought, and theology" in Edwardian culture. The book is organized around six broad topics -- secular religion, personal relations, the meanings of life, the efficiency men, the gospel of fun, the undivided self -- and operates on the assumption that "complex systems of belief are based on very simple habits of mind." The materials drawn on are primarily literary. Jonathan Rose is extremely well read and well organized, and his powers of intellectual synthesis are considerable. The Edwardian Temperament is reminiscent of Walter Houghton's classic Victorian Frame of Mind , which is remarkable since Rose is such a young scholar. A persuasive overview spiced with fascinating details." - Library Journal