Nelson & His World

I have just come across a book which looks very interesting and which I have just ordered:

Trafalgar 1805-2005: History, Commemoration and National Preoccupation edited by Holger Hoock.

It looks at the commemoration of Trafalgar over two centuries. 'Leading historians from Britain and France reflect on the complex notions of remembrance......which Nelson or Nelsons have had a role in national memory over the past two centuries? And who identifies with Nelson today?....' The blurb (which you can read in full on the Amazon website www.amazon.co.uk ) says the book will be of interest to anyone interested in naval, maritime, cultural or public history.

Holger Hoock has also written a book on the complex relationship between art and politics in the 18th century, also viewable on Amazon but very expensive.

I have now read the book mentioned on the previous thread. It consists of a series of essays that arose from a symposium held at the British Academy soon after the 2005 celebrations. For anyone interested in social history, in the ‘long perspective’ and in the nature of national identity this book has much to offer. It consists of a thought-provoking and interesting collection of essays that examines the reaction to Nelson’s death and the centennial and bi-centennial commemorations of the Battle of Trafalgar.

Colin White’s essay, written with his usual verve and clarity, examines some of the contrasts and tensions between the official funeral commemoration and the desires of the public.

Bernard Taithe explores the problems of commemorating, in 1905, a victory over France soon after the Entente Cordiale that was intended to end centuries of discord between the two nations. It was solved by commemorating not so much the victory, as the sacrificial nature of heroic death, even in defeat, which is very much a French tradition, thereby simultaneously honouring Nelson without triumphalism, and respecting French sensibilities.

Other essays examine Nelson as a heroic figure in the Empire, particularly Canada, and explore how information (or propaganda?) about Nelson’s heroism and charismatic personality was more easily disseminated though the medium of cinema.

The assessment of the bi-centenary is interesting – again emphasising the contrast between academic and popular history, and the difficulty of managing a commemoration that aimed to examine in an even-handed way the political context of the Battle of Trafalgar when the public mood was much more centred on celebrating a national hero. It is difficult to achieve a proper balance between the disciplines of academe with the public demand for History that is a repository of national triumphs and tragedies.

The bicentennial celebrations also promoted the expression of a long-felt but rarely expressed dissatisfaction with the current educational policy of teaching history as unrelated modules rather than a connected narrative which denies young people not only a deeper understanding of Britain’s naval and maritime history and an awareness of significant historical figures such as Nelson, but also the critical judgement that comes from an appreciation of the ‘long perspective’.