The Early Journalism of G.K. Chesterton and Charles Masterman: Literature, democracy and Christianity.

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

This research centres on a strand of liberal journalism in the early years of the twentieth century that drew a tight link between democracy, Christianity, and literary culture. At its forefront was G.K. Chesterton (1874-1936) and C.F.G. Masterman (1873-1927), regular columnists in the organs of popular and to some extent intellectual liberalism, as well as in Christian journals such as The Christian Commonwealth and The Pilot. Their contributions to The Daily News, the Liberal daily with the highest circulation, will be a prominent feature of the research. The research intends to draw out the basis of their liberal beliefs in their early association with the Christian Social Union, as well as their heavy engagement with narratives of Englishness in the wake of imperial expansion, on the one hand, and urbanisation, on the other. It seeks to highlight the cosmic reach of democracy in Chesterton's writings, especially, and his increasing sense of the limitations of organised liberalism as an instrument of democratic change. While Masterman was more heavily involved with the Liberal Party, becoming an MP in 1906 and a Cabinet minister in 1908, his early writings were also animated by an ideal of inclusivity, cultural as well as political. This was most evident in the literary reviews and essays of the two men; both turned against the recent, fin de siècle movement to embrace literary and artistic currents that were unifying rather than divisive, popular rather than elitist, and rooted in optimism rather than pessimism about the nature of human life. They were particularly concerned to turn the literature of early and mid-Victorian England to democratic advantage, pitting it against the realism of Ibsen and Zola and the pessimism of Schopenhauer in philosophy to name but two of their targets. The research will emphasise the distinctiveness of this strand of early-twentieth century Liberalism against that which was rooted in evolutionary rationalism; it will also emphasise the distinctiveness of the Liberal journalism of Chesterton and Masterman against the avant-garde stream associated with Henry Massingham, in particular.The first aim of the research is to draw together the substantial contribution of G.K. Chesterton to the leading liberal daily, The Daily News from 1901-1913 in one, four-volume edition. This will be annotated throughout and will contain an introductory essay providing a critical framework for understanding his role as a liberal journalist. It will provide a key resource for studying political thought and spiritual belief in England in the years leading up to the First World War.A second aim is to write two refereed articles comparing Chesterton's journalism with the work of his friend Charles Masterman before 1914. The first will compare their use of the literary essay as a vehicle for promoting their political and religious ideals. The second will consider their wider role as proselytisers for Christianity against secularism on the one hand and religious pluralism on the other in organs such as The Christian Commonwealth, The Pilot, The Nation, The Echo, as well as the Daily News. It will highlight the implications for liberalism of this engagement.A third aim is to disseminate the research to relevant user groups interested in Chesterton, Liberal history, and the enhancement of democratic rights in the United Kingdom, particularly centred on England.Julia Stapleton is the sole researcher. The research will mainly be carried out in Durham, with research trips to the Newspaper Library at Colindale and to Birmingham University Library, where Masterman's papers are deposited. In the preparation of the edition of Chesterton's Daily News columns, the methodology used will be that of textual compilation and exegesis. In preparing the two journal articles, comparative analysis will be undertaken of the role, beliefs and agendas of Chesterton and Masterman as journalists in a shared Liberal milieu.