One of the most popular lines concerning writing
would be, “write what you know.” The authors we have studied from Romanticism
to the Victorian era have taken this cliché and ran with it. The authors take
what is going on in their life, brood over it, and transform it into an
excellent piece of literature that may or may not have a gigantic impact on
their contemporary audience. Through specific examples from Cowper, Stevenson,
Conrad, and Kipling, a theme of social commentary on contemporary events can be
seen stretching from the literature of the 18th century to the work
of the early 20th century.
The abolition of slavery came about in Great Britain
rather early compared to countries such as the United States. The Slavery
Abolition Act of 1833 dispelled slavery throughout the empire, except for in
territories in possession of the East India Company. This Act was the final
push following the Slave Trade Act of 1907, which had abolished the British
Slave trade. Which of course still happened, but the 1833 act dispelled any
need for the trade. William
Cowper, born in the early 18th century, belonged to the evangelist
sect of the Christian Church, and was an abolitionist. The Evangelical church
was well known for their part in the abolition of the slave trade, and
according to Reddie in his article, The
Church: Enslaver or Liberator, “But the real thrust of Christian abolitionism emerged from
the evangelical revival of the 18th century, which spawned dynamic Christians
who had clear-cut beliefs on morality and sin, which shaped their approach to
the issue of slavery.” By being part of the Evangelical Church, Cowper was
taught to be in opposition to slavery, a major contemporary event of the time.
Through his poems, “The Negros’s Complaint,” and “Pity for Poor Africans,”
Cowper could express his views on the issue of slavery, which due to his morals
and involvement in the Evangelical Church, were pro-abolition. For the
presentation on Cowper, my partner and I found a link on the British Library
that allowed us to see something we didn’t expect, images from a picture book
with Cowper’s poem, “Pity for Poor Africans.” We found this through the British
Library Website which turned out to be an excellent source not only for reading
about Cowper, but also as a place of general information about the British
Abolitionist movement.
http://www.bl.uk/learning/histcitizen/campaignforabolition/sources/antislavery/aspoem/negroscomplaint.html
This source also provided the fantastic images from the
picture book that was based on the poem. The illustrations can also been seen
as a social commentary through the medium of Cowper’s poem.
All in all, Cowper’s work addresses the contemporary issue
of abolition during the 18th century. Through his works, Cowper is remembered
for his place in the abolitionist movement, and his effort to help the slaves
through his religion.
Robert
Lewis Stevenson’s, “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,” is a
commentary both on industrialization and the advancement of the Sciences. The
idea of Jekyll and Hyde being a reflection of industrialization came from a
blog post someone posted approaching the subject. Although the industrial
revolution predated the release of the novel, it could still be seen as a
social commentary, especially if Stevenson was writing the novel during the
industrial revolution, or even just brain storming about it. The industrial
Revolution was all about change and the advancement of society through machinery
and technology. One could say the same thing about Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,
except the technology affecting them could also be seen through the advancement
of the sciences. In a true out with the old, in with the new fashion, Dr.
Jekyll transforms himself into Mr. Hyde, who is younger, stronger, more rash
than Dr, Jekyll could ever be. Then again Hyde is also a monster. At first
appearance Dr. Jekyll might have though that this evolution into Mr. Hyde would
be a fantastic thing, who doesn’t love advancement in technology? Once Dr.
Jekyll realizes that he has turned into a horrible monster the story turns to
horror, and we are left feeling shaken. The same idea could be applied to the
industrial revolution. Everyone thought that the Industrial Revolution would be
a fantastic thing, it was idealized through art, an example being Joseph Wright
of Derby’s Arkwright’s Mills by Night, where the mill is the source of light in
the meadow, lighting up the surrounding area with it’s awesomeness.
Later, it is discovered that the industrial revolution has
many negative effects such as, pollution, child labor, people getting hurt,
etc. Stevenson, whether intentional or not has tapped into this idea that a
good idea can lead to a bad result, and he makes this social commentary through
the medium of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
Imperialism by Britain became and affluent idea during the late 18th
century and early 19th century as Britain took claim to India and areas in
Africa. The main idea of imperialism, as it had been with their earlier
exploits with the thirteen colonies, was that the new areas would be used for
trade. Companies such as the East India Company grew in popularity as British
citizens gained access to new materials such as teas, silks, and even diamonds
from a range of territories now under British rule. These places could be seen
as “outposts,” because they were there primarily for the purpose of trade and
the good of the British economy. Plus, it was most likely that these new
British territories were giving more than they were receiving, yet again
emphasizing the idea of the “outpost” that Conrad uses in his writings on
imperialism. Conrad’s “Secret Sharer,” and the “Outpost of Progress,” provides
a look into the social history of imperialism. Through journeys such as Captain
Cook’s three voyages, people began to gain a greater understanding of the
mysterious lands that Great Britain was beginning to possess. According to
Bernard Smith, “Cook’s voyages were not only fact- gathering phenomena, they
deeply affected conceptual thought…” (Smith). A series of images were produced
during the period of imperialization, some were informational, like the works
the artists, such as William Hodges, on Cook’s voyages produced, and others
were more mocking, such as political cartoons.
British Imperialism was the source of inspiration for
Conrad’s social commentary on the happenings of the country. Whether or not he
liked it, imperialism was happening, and outposts were springing up everywhere.
Kipling’s work “Epitaphs of War,” was influenced by World
War I, which happened between 1914 and 1918. The BBC provides a great overview
of the political climate previous to and after World War I. http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/britain_wwone/overview_britain_ww1_01.shtml.
Over 9 million soldiers were killed over all the nations
that went into the war; a lot of these deaths were due to improvements in
warfare technology, such as mustard gas. Other technologies were explored
during World War I; one that was discussed in class would be photography. There
was a presentation on photography during World War I, which was insanely
interesting. Photography during war is not thought about much, which made the
presentation even more informational. It was also sad how many soldiers died
because they wanted to be war photographers.
These photographs would be seen in England, creating an
emotional effect on the population. Photographs of the dead along with a long
list of deceased soldiers name in the papers really hit home for Great Britain.
These men were people’s sons, husbands, lovers, etc. and seeing this list every
morning had to be the worst part of everyone’s day. Kipling chose to write
epitaphs for soldiers who had died in the war. This could be seen as a social
commentary based on the types of things he was saying. Certain epitaphs such as
“The Coward,” could be seen as having a negative connotation towards the
soldiers. Or it could be taken as a negative comment on Britain’s involvement
in this war, which forced men into a situation that they might not be able to
handle. Other epitaphs such as, “A Son,” identified with those mothers who lost
their sons at such an early age. There was an epitaph for everyone, something
for someone to identify with that might help them with the pain of losing a
loved one. Kipling’s social commentary
is very overt, he’s talking about World War I, but it is hard to tell whether
he is supportive of the war effort, or anti-war by reading his epitaphs. The
one thing that can be readily understood is that Kipling felt that these men
deserved a proper homage to be paid to them, and he did this though the
epitaphs.
Although
the contemporary events of Cowper, Stevenson, Conrad, and Kipling are diverse
and spread over multiple centuries, the four authors share a common bond. All
of them are taking what is happening in their lives and turning it into
inspiration for their work. These events might have been rough, especially in
the case of World War I and Kipling, but the author’s took it with a grain of
salt and got their opinions across via the medium of the written word. Social
commentary by authors will probably always be a popular theme, after all, they
are just writing what they know.
Works cited:
Reddie, Richard. "The Church: Enslaver or
Liberator?" BBC News. BBC, 17 Feb. 2011. Web. 09 May 2013.
Smith, Bernard. "Art as Information." Imagining
the Pacific in the Wake of the Cook Voyages. New Haven and London: Yale UP,
1992. 50-76. Print.
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