Aspects of Aristocracy: Grandeur and Decline in Modern Britain [Hardcover]

Professor David Cannadine (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 25, 1994

In this stylish and provocative book, the eminent historian David Cannadine brings his characterisitc wit and acumen to bear on the British aristocracy, probing behind the legendary escapades and indulgences of aristocrats Such as Lord Curzon, the Hon C.S. Rolls (of Rolls Royce), Winston Churchill, Harold Nicolson, and Vita Sackville -West, and changing our perceptions of them - transforming wastrels into heroes and the self-satisfied into tthe second-rate. Cannasine begins by investigating the land-owning classes as a whole during the last two hundred years, describing their origins, their habits, their increasing debts, and their involvement with the steam train, the horseless carriage, and the aeroplamne. He next focuses on patricians he finds particularly fascinating: Lord Curzon, an unrivaled ceremonial impresario and inventor of traditions; Lord Strickland, part English landowner and part Mediterranean nobleman, who has both an imperial proconsul and prime minister of Malta; and Winston Churchill, whom Cannadine sees as an aristocratic adventureer, a man who has burdened by more than he benefited fromhis family connections and patrician attitudes. Cannadiine then moves from individuals to aristocratic dynasties. He reconstructs the extraordinary financial history of the dukes of Devonshire, narrates the story of the Cozwns-Hardys, a Norfolk family who playeda remarkably varies part in the life of their country, and offers a controversial reapraisal of the forebears, lives, work, and personalities of Harols Nicolson and Vita Sackville-West- a portrait, notes Cannadine, of more than a marriage.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Cannadine (The Decline and Fall of the British Aristocracy, Doubleday, 1992) offers this set of "occasional pieces," written over the period 1977-93, which serve the purpose of filling in background for the larger work. The essays are divided into three sections: an overview of class issues in modern Britain; an examination of unusual examples of the aristocratic family unit, including the now-famous unorthodox marriage of Harold Nicolson and Vita Sackville-West; and a profile of less well known aspects of individuals' lives and careers. Included in this latter section are Lord Curzon's penchant for organizing ceremonial occasions, Lord Strickland's career in Malta and Tasmania, and the scandals of some of the less savory members of Winston Churchill's family. While they are most likely to appeal to those with some background in the subject matter, the essays are written in a lively style that should have broad appeal. Recommended primarily for academic collections.
Linda Smith, Mobil Corp. Lib., Fairfax, Va.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 360 pages
• Publisher: Yale University Press; First Edition edition (May 25, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0300059817
• ISBN-13: 978-0300059816
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #413,104 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #60 in Books > Education & Reference > Genealogy > United Kingdom

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars enjoyable supplement, January 16, 2006

By 

coffee drinker (Mystic CT) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Aspects of Aristocracy: Grandeur and Decline in Modern Britain (Hardcover)

Well-written, this book is a supplement to the author's Decline and Fall of the British Aristocracy, a full treatment of the landed aristrocracy, and gentry, in the years of decline, from 1870. This book consists of essays on particular aspects of the subject. I thought it was fair in tone, the comments about the Churchills in particular are in line with evaluations in several biographies of Winston that I have read.

6 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Conveniently manages to overlook the "why", November 17, 2004

By 

Megan "Megan" (Massachusetts) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Aspects of Aristocracy (Penguin History) (Paperback)

This is a mean-spirited and vindictive book that makes no pretense about actually revelling in the mounting misfortunes of the British upper classes. It offers very little historical research, but a great deal of waxing eloquent on the uselessness of the aristocracy.

He gets so into this, that much of what he says is wrong: he describes Winston "Churchill's family and forebearers were hardly those which any politician, eager to establish an unimpeachable public reputaition, would have freely chosen." Um, except that they were all well-respected politicians in their own right, and Winston's father had been considered, for many years, next in line to be Prime Minister (a raging case of syphillus drove him mad and that was the end of that... but his affliction was not public knowledge and wouldn't have hampered his son's career).

He takes great joy in describing the misfortunes of the upper classes, without actually examining the causes: more often than not these declines had to do with the rising cost of living in a huge stone palace (as electricity, plumbing, and heating became necessary), the decline of the sevice industry (as factory work became a better option for the lower classes), the decline of the agricultural industry from which most of these people supported themselves with (as cheaper food could be imported from overseas), and a few significant stock market crashes. Instead, he drops hints that the sudden and disasterous lack of money was purely a personal fault.

He discusses the people who hang on to their country houses but require government aid to support them, completely ignoring the fact that 1) the government won't let the owners tear them down because they're historic and architectural landmarks and 2) the owners literally can't GIVE them away because the National Trust is already glutted with them and can't afford the upkeep on the ones they already have.

Cannadine's thesis is one that deserves taking into consideration: that it's time historians stopped fawning over the upper classes and started to look at them, warts and all. However, by the time this book was published, this was hardly an original notion and it was difficult to find a book that didn't take a critical view of the aristocracy. And it should be taken into consideration that, after a career built on mocking the upper classes, Mr. Cannadine's last TWO books have both been fawning histories talking about how the entire British Empire was built on the bravery, daring, and intelligence of the aristocrats. I guess he decided the tide had turned and it was time to jump on another bandwaggon?

4 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable, April 26, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Aspects of Aristocracy (Penguin History) (Paperback)

Paints a vivid and broad picture of the British aristocracy which has declined precipitously in fortune, political power and status since about 1870. Mr. Cannandine's chooses not to explain the causes of the decline, however, with any percision. The various political reform acts, the rise of a rootless proletariate, the democratization of education, the agricultural decline starting about 1870, the decimation of young aristocrats in the trenches of World War One, the loss of confidence in the right to rule-these are either only briefly mentioned by Mr. Cannandine or not mentioned by Mr. Cannandine. He chose not to over-analyze. My chief criticism of the book is that in conclusion, Mr. Cannandine seems overjoyed with the declining relevance of his subject. That is a pity. The British aristocracy has done well by Britain. It is sad that Mr. Cannandine has a soulmate in Tony Blair, who is set to destroy the House of Lords this year.