Is Lytton Strachey Really an Impartial Biographer?

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Lytton Strachey - An Introduction

Giles Lytton Strachey was born in England who belonged to the Bloomsbury group, a crew of intellectuals who pursued their degrees from Cambridge University. Lytton Strachey pioneered straight forward biographies, representing the life of national heroes in a neutral angle. In the preface of Eminent Victorians, he asserts that selection and scrutiny are the main principles behind his biographies.

Biographies Before Lytton Strachey

Before Lytton Strachey, biographies were dull and lacked impartial portraiture. Biographers were inclined towards showcasing only the positive sides of their heroes, completely idealizing them and presenting them as if they were angels. They (knowingly or unknowingly) neglected the darker sides or negative aspects of their heroes. Moreover, biographers wrote a lengthy book for a specific subject [in this case, about the hero]. Manifestly, the previous biographers were one-sided in caricaturing their heroes, which is not human-like as humans are characterized by their virtues and viles simultaneously.

Lytton Strachey as a Biographer

Mr. Strachey was aware of the partiality and one-sidedness his fellow biographers. He focused on presenting a brief juxtaposition (side-by-side comparison of one's goods and bads) and excluding what is superfluous (unnecessary). Mr. Strachey revolutionized biographies to look like the actual human portraits. He not only added the glorifying aspects of the heroes he chose for his biographies but also he shared some jokes, feelings and farcical features of those heroes. For instance, Florence Nightingale is seen helping the wounded soldiers as well as she is shown protesting (showing) obsession with her passion to a ridiculous level. Mr. Strachey says, "First class biographies can only be written long after the hero’s death." as the hero's relatives are hardly willing to disclose the secrecy of the particular person.

Eminent Victorians

Mr. Strachey published Eminent Victorians in 1918, a biography focusing on showcasing the life of the renowned personalities from the Victorian era like General Gordon, Florence Nightingale and Dr. Arnold etc. As mentioned before, through the very book, Mr. Strachey painted these heroes as an embodiment of flesh and blood through their strengths and weaknesses. Eminent Victorians was received with great esteem and Bertrand Russel critically praises the impartial juxtaposition as thus, "It is brilliant, delicious, exquisitely civilized. ".

Conclusion

It is evident through his writings that he remained impartial while examining the subject for his biographies. His ironical scrutiny had "punctured something for good. " (Edmund Wilson)

Is Lytton Strachey Really an Impartial Biographer?

Lytton Strachey - An Introduction

Biographies Before Lytton Strachey

Lytton Strachey as a Biographer

Eminent Victorians

Conclusion

Sources and Suggested Readings

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