Sir Thomas More by Hals Holbein (Accessed via Wikipedia ) During lockdown, we had Time. Remember that? I was in my probationary year of teaching: almost certainly among the most exhausting years for any profession. All my time had been taken up with school work, and I regularly stayed at school until after 6pm, having arrived there at eight in the morning. Now, children, this is not sustainable and, very soon, I decided I didn’t like working where I was. Then I realised that I didn’t like teaching at all. But, in fact, neither was particularly true: I just needed to be true to myself and to say no, which would give me the ability to manage my work/life balance in a more appropriate way. What does this have to do with historical fiction, I hear you say? Well, during March 2020, we went into lockdown and suddenly I went from working ten-hour-days to ten-hour-weeks. I met up with my class on Google Meet, I put work up for them on a meticulously designed Google Classroom, but I just h...
#HistFicThursdays - Gilbert Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound (1st Earl of Minto) - The Burden of Bridging Eras
While the technological advancements of the past century have been so rapid we've all been left with a bit of whiplash, the late eighteenth century was also a time of significant change in western Europe. For many in that generation who lived across events such as the French Revolution, they saw their understanding of the world upturned, and had to quickly learn to adapt to this new world.
Gilbert Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound was one such individual.
At first glance, Elliot appears to have been one of those members of the upper class for whom everything naturally fell into place. Born to a baronet, educated to the highest standard, given post after post by those in power. But, delving a little bit deeper, there was more to him than first meets the eye...
Friendships he formed in his youth were to be shattered in later life, and he became the champion of failed attempts. The French Revolution saw him torn between early friendships and patriotic duties, and his attempts at command were perhaps hindered by his split loyalties. In all, despite his wealth and power, he was a man who lived with one foot in the dreams of what might have been and another in what he actually had - perfect for introducing into a story!
By the time he appears in book Day's Dying Glory, Elliot was an older man, just a few years before his death. By this time, holding the position of Governor-General of the Presidency of Fort William (India), he had reached lofty heights. This was his swansong. In the book he is argumentative and deliberately obstructive, carrying the weight of all the ups and downs which shaped his life. Bitterness is creeping in and, when confronted by a man who had taken all the opposite choices to himself, is short to the point of rudeness.
It can't have been easy to have lived a life which bridged either side of that period of revolution. It took a certain type of person to make that transition smoothly and, tragically, there were many more who could not. Despite appearances, I think Elliot was one of the latter.
Comments
Post a Comment