Historical Topicality in Arnold Bennett and Edward Knoblock’s Milestones
Arnold Bennett was one of the key figures of early twentieth century British literature. However, although literary criticism has engaged with his novels, his dramatic oeuvre remains a blind spot in scholarship. In this article, I want to lay out the subtleties of his play Milestones (1912), which h...
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Presses Universitaires de la Méditerranée
2021-11-01
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| Series: | Cahiers Victoriens et Edouardiens |
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| Online Access: | https://journals.openedition.org/cve/9994 |
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| author | Lukas Klik |
| author_facet | Lukas Klik |
| author_sort | Lukas Klik |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Arnold Bennett was one of the key figures of early twentieth century British literature. However, although literary criticism has engaged with his novels, his dramatic oeuvre remains a blind spot in scholarship. In this article, I want to lay out the subtleties of his play Milestones (1912), which he wrote in collaboration with Edward Knoblock. In particular, I show that the text is characterised by an intense interest in minute detail, which manifests itself through a high number of topical allusions to political, cultural and social issues. Moreover I also consider these references in the context of the aim of the playwrights in writing the play more generally. Here, I suggest that the topical allusions serve to underpin the play’s main point about the necessity to accept change, especially with regard to the role of women, by illustrating the inevitability of change. Through its interest in Bennett’s dramatic contributions, this article, then, seeks to complicate our understanding of British drama at the turn of the twentieth century. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-6bcfec05b32349329c232a40852f22a2 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 0220-5610 2271-6149 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2021-11-01 |
| publisher | Presses Universitaires de la Méditerranée |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Cahiers Victoriens et Edouardiens |
| spelling | doaj-art-6bcfec05b32349329c232a40852f22a22025-01-30T10:21:12ZengPresses Universitaires de la MéditerranéeCahiers Victoriens et Edouardiens0220-56102271-61492021-11-019410.4000/cve.9994Historical Topicality in Arnold Bennett and Edward Knoblock’s MilestonesLukas KlikArnold Bennett was one of the key figures of early twentieth century British literature. However, although literary criticism has engaged with his novels, his dramatic oeuvre remains a blind spot in scholarship. In this article, I want to lay out the subtleties of his play Milestones (1912), which he wrote in collaboration with Edward Knoblock. In particular, I show that the text is characterised by an intense interest in minute detail, which manifests itself through a high number of topical allusions to political, cultural and social issues. Moreover I also consider these references in the context of the aim of the playwrights in writing the play more generally. Here, I suggest that the topical allusions serve to underpin the play’s main point about the necessity to accept change, especially with regard to the role of women, by illustrating the inevitability of change. Through its interest in Bennett’s dramatic contributions, this article, then, seeks to complicate our understanding of British drama at the turn of the twentieth century.https://journals.openedition.org/cve/9994historyBennett (Arnold)Edwardian dramaKnoblock (Edward)topicality |
| spellingShingle | Lukas Klik Historical Topicality in Arnold Bennett and Edward Knoblock’s Milestones Cahiers Victoriens et Edouardiens history Bennett (Arnold) Edwardian drama Knoblock (Edward) topicality |
| title | Historical Topicality in Arnold Bennett and Edward Knoblock’s Milestones |
| title_full | Historical Topicality in Arnold Bennett and Edward Knoblock’s Milestones |
| title_fullStr | Historical Topicality in Arnold Bennett and Edward Knoblock’s Milestones |
| title_full_unstemmed | Historical Topicality in Arnold Bennett and Edward Knoblock’s Milestones |
| title_short | Historical Topicality in Arnold Bennett and Edward Knoblock’s Milestones |
| title_sort | historical topicality in arnold bennett and edward knoblock s milestones |
| topic | history Bennett (Arnold) Edwardian drama Knoblock (Edward) topicality |
| url | https://journals.openedition.org/cve/9994 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT lukasklik historicaltopicalityinarnoldbennettandedwardknoblocksmilestones |