Eminent Victorians

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Lytton Strachey's biographical essays delve into the lives of Cardinal Manning, Florence Nightingale, Thomas Arnold, and General Gordon, presenting them as complex and flawed individuals rather than infallible heroes. His irreverent tone critiques their actions and beliefs, shaped by their social and political contexts. Manning is depicted as manipulative, Nightingale as a passionate yet authoritarian reformer, Arnold as a misguided educator, and Gordon as an eccentric undone by arrogance. This work revolutionized biography, blending skepticism with narrative skill.