What Makes Us Human? Finding the Goodness in British Literature

Photo Credits: Wikimedia Commons

This photo of Virginia Woolf at Monk's house captures her in a surprisingly quiet and intimate moment. I think seeing her in this space makes her feel more human and real rather than just a famous public figure. 

This image of the inside of the Crystal Palace shows how overwhelming the Exhibition must have felt, with light pouring in and displays stretching in every direction. It reminds me that even in a time of huge change and uncertainty, people were still drawn to beauty, creativity, and the excitement of seeing something new. I added this photo as a perspective change from the photo located on my timeline.

This portrait of William Wordsworth allows us to put a face to the writer whose work shaped so much of the Romantic period. His picture is important because it makes it much easier to imagine the person who was able to take insipration from nature and memory in order to make sense of the world around him.

This photo of a lark in flight represents the moment of hope that Rosenburg mentioned in his poem "Returning, We Hear the Larks." It is when he first hears the lark, which creates a childlike spark of wonder that reminds the soldiers that hope can be found in the darkest places. 

This Victorian calling card represents the strict social standards that Wilde makes fun of in his play "The Importance of Being Earnest." I think that this serves as a reminder of how carefully people had to present themselves during this time and how humor and comedy became a way to escape that pressure. I found a lot of hilarious calling cards while searching for this image but most of them I couldn't upload. I think we should bring them back but in a much less serious way.

This photo shows nurses caring for a patient in the early days of the National Health Service being founded. This kind of care being available to everyone and the shift towards care and rebuilding shows how deeply people wanted to chose kindness and community after WWII.