Angus Wilson, Anglo-Saxon Attitudes

Marina MacKay (University of Durham)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.09: English Writing and Culture: Postwar and Contemporary Britain , 1945-present.
Vol. editors: Gina Lyle (University of Glasgow), Graham MacPhee (University of Manchester), Kerry Myler (Birmingham Newman University), Jenni Ramone (The Nottingham Trent University)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1956

Places

England (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Novel

Resources

Save to Bookshelf

Approaching his late middle age, Gerald Middleton, a Professor of Medieval History, is forced to confront the fact that his professional and personal lives have been a failure and a sham. Wherever he goes, he is reminded of the Melpham excavation of 1912. He suspects that the phallic figure found in the tomb of an Anglo-Saxon bishop has been the result of a hoax perpetrated by Middleton's then friend, Gilbert, a probably insane modernist poet, in an attempt to humiliate his father, Professor Stokesay, Middleton's mentor. The day of the Melpham excavation has also been significant for Gerald because it is on the same day that he has met and fallen in love with Dollie, Gilbert's fiancée. When the Great War breaks out, Gerald commences an affair with Dollie, and Gilbert is killed in battle.…

Please log in to consult the article in its entirety. If you are a member (student of staff) of a subscribing institution (see List), you should be able to access the LE on campus directly (without the need to log in), and off-campus either via the institutional log in we offer, or via your institution's remote access facilities, or by creating a personal user account with your institutional email address. If you are not a member of a subscribing institution, you will need to purchase a personal subscription. For more information on how to subscribe as an individual user, please see under Individual Subcriptions.

501 words

Citation: MacKay, Marina. "Anglo-Saxon Attitudes". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 08 January 2001 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=6671, accessed 23 April 2024.]

Save this article