The Long Week-End

Last updated
The Long Week-End
The Long Week-End.jpg
First edition
Author Robert Graves, Alan Hodge
LanguageEnglish
Genre Social history
Publisher Faber & Faber
Publication date
1940
Publication placeUnited Kingdom

The Long Week-End is a social history of interwar Britain, written by Robert Graves and Alan Hodge. It was first published in 1940, just after the end of the period it treats.

Their story covers a wide range of popular and social themes, including politics, business, science, religion, art, literature, fashion, education, popular amusements, domestic life, sexual relations, and much else. [1]

The Long Week-End has gone through several reprints, the latest in 2009 by the Folio Society.

Historian Adrian Tinniswood named his 2016 book, The Long Weekend: Life in the English Country House, 1918–1939, after it. [2]

Reception

In a contemporary book review in the peer-reviewed Journal of Modern History , William D. Clark wrote, "To write a social history of England from the newspapers of the last twenty years… demands extraordinary powers of selection and interpretation. Mr. Graves has given us proof that he possesses such powers, but unfortunately in this book he resolutely refuses to use them, misled perhaps by the ideals of the Mass-Observation school. The result is a strange unfocused photograph of the times, in which, although the 'camera-eye' has not lied, it has failed entirely to introduce any perspective or integration." [3] A 1941 review by Kirkus Reviews summarized the book with; "a graphic panorama of fads, fancies, facts, foibles and fingerposts along the way from war to war... Thoroughly good reading of the background of those years, if one wants to look back." [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roaring Twenties</span> 1920s period of sustained economic prosperity in Western Europe and North America

The Roaring Twenties, sometimes stylized as Roaring '20s, refers to the 1920s decade in music and fashion, as it happened in Western society and Western culture. It was a period of economic prosperity with a distinctive cultural edge in the United States and Europe, particularly in major cities such as Berlin, Buenos Aires, Chicago, London, Los Angeles, Mexico City, New York City, Paris, and Sydney. In France, the decade was known as the années folles, emphasizing the era's social, artistic and cultural dynamism. Jazz blossomed, the flapper redefined the modern look for British and American women, and Art Deco peaked.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">G. D. H. Cole</span> British socialist historian, economist and writer (1889–1959)

George Douglas Howard Cole was an English political theorist, economist, and historian. As a believer in common ownership of the means of production, he theorised guild socialism. He belonged to the Fabian Society and was an advocate for the co-operative movement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Causes of World War II</span>

The causes of World War II have been given considerable attention by historians. The immediate precipitating event was the invasion of Poland by Nazi Germany on September 1, 1939, and the subsequent declarations of war on Germany made by Britain and France, but many other prior events have been suggested as ultimate causes. Primary themes in historical analysis of the war's origins include the political takeover of Germany in 1933 by Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party; Japanese militarism against China, which led to the Japanese invasion of Manchuria and the Second Sino-Japanese War; Italian aggression against Ethiopia, which led to the Second Italo-Ethiopian War; Soviet Union desire to reconquer old territory of Russian Empire, which led to the Soviet invasion of Poland, the Soviet occupation of Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina, the occupation of the Baltic states and the Winter War.

Ian Wilson is a British prolific author of historical and religious books. He has written about such topics as the Shroud of Turin and life after death.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interwar period</span> 1918–1939 period between the World Wars

In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 – from the end of World War I (WWI) to the beginning of World War II (WWII). It was relatively short, yet featured many social, political, military, and economic changes throughout the world. Petroleum-based energy production and associated mechanisation led to the prosperous Roaring Twenties, a time of social and economic mobility for the middle class. Automobiles, electric lighting, radio, and more became common among populations in the first world. The era's indulgences were followed by the Great Depression, an unprecedented worldwide economic downturn that severely damaged many of the world's largest economies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of the United Kingdom during the First World War</span> A breakdown of the United Kingdoms involvement in the First World War, 1914–1918

The United Kingdom was a leading Allied Power during the First World War of 1914–1918. They fought against the Central Powers, mainly Germany. The armed forces were greatly expanded and reorganised—the war marked the founding of the Royal Air Force. The highly controversial introduction, in January 1916, of conscription for the first time in British history followed the raising of one of the largest all-volunteer armies in history, known as Kitchener's Army, of more than 2,000,000 men. The outbreak of war was a socially unifying event. Enthusiasm was widespread in 1914, and was similar to that across Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">H. J. Massingham</span> British writer

Harold John Massingham (25 March 1888 – 22 August 1952) was a prolific British writer on ruralism, matters to do with the countryside and agriculture. He was also a published poet.

The modern era or the modern period is considered the current historical period of human history. It was originally applied to the history of Europe and Western history for events that came after the Middle Ages, often from around the year 1500. From the 1990s, it is more common among historians to refer to the period after the Middle Ages and up to the 19th century as the early modern period. The modern period is today more often used for events from the 19th century until today. The time from the end of World War II (1945) can also be described as being part of contemporary history. The common definition of the modern period today is often associated with events like the French Revolution, the Industrial Revolution, and the transition to nationalism towards the liberal international order.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bibliography of World War I</span>

This list contains a selection of books on World War I, using APA style citations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adrian Tinniswood</span> British historian and writer

Adrian John Tinniswood FSA is an English writer and historian. He is currently Professor of English Social History at the University of Buckingham.

In most English-speaking countries, a long weekend is a three or four day weekend.

Frederick Lewis Schuman (1904–1981) was an American professor of history, political science and international relations at Williams College.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Home front during World War I</span>

The home front during World War I covers the domestic, economic, social and political histories of countries involved in that conflict. It covers the mobilization of armed forces and war supplies, lives of others, but does not include the military history. For nonmilitary interactions among the major players see diplomatic history of World War I.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Holland (author)</span> British popular historian, writer and broadcaster (b. 1970)

James Holland is an English popular historian, author and broadcaster, who specialises in the history of the Second World War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Economic history of World War I</span>

The economic history of World War I covers the methods used by the First World War (1914–1918), as well as related postwar issues such as war debts and reparations. It also covers the economic mobilization of labour, industry, and agriculture leading to economic failure. It deals with economic warfare such as the blockade of Germany, and with some issues closely related to the economy, such as military issues of transportation. For a broader perspective see home front during World War I.

In the United Kingdom, the interwar period (1918–1939) entered a period of relative stability after the Partition of Ireland, although it was also characterised by economic stagnation. In politics, the Liberal Party collapsed and the Labour Party became the main challenger to the dominant Conservative Party throughout the period. The Great Depression affected Britain less severely economically and politically than other major nations, although some areas still suffered from severe long-term unemployment and hardship, especially mining districts and in Scotland and North West England.

Alan Hodge was an English historian and journalist. He was a member of the circle of writers and artists that centred on Laura Riding and Robert Graves in the late 1930s, and later collaborated with Graves on The Long Week-End, a social history of Britain between the wars, and The Reader Over Your Shoulder, a guide to writing English prose. After the Second World War he worked as the general editor of Hamish Hamilton's Novel Library, as an editorial assistant on Winston Churchill's History of the English-Speaking Peoples, and as a founding co-editor of the successful magazine History Today.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Kingdom home front during World War II</span> Civilian population and activities of the United Kingdom during World War II

The United Kingdom home front during World War II covers the political, social and economic history during 1939–1945.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">German entry into World War I</span>

Germany entered into World War I on August 1, 1914, when it declared war on Russia. In accordance with its war plan, it ignored Russia and moved first against France–declaring war on August 3 and sending its main armies through Belgium to capture Paris from the north. The German invasion of Belgium caused Britain to declare war on Germany on August 4. Most of the main parties were now at war. In October 1914, Turkey joined the war on Germany's side, becoming part of the Central Powers. Italy, which was allied with Germany and Austria-Hungary before World War I, was neutral in 1914 before switching to the Allied side in May 1915.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Curzon Street Baroque</span> Baroque revival interior design style

Curzon Street Baroque is a 20th-century inter-war Baroque revival style. It manifested itself principally as a form of interior design popular in the homes of Britain's wealthy and well-born intellectual elite. Its name was coined by the English cartoonist and author Osbert Lancaster, as Curzon Street in Mayfair was an address popular with London high society. While previous forms of Baroque interior design had relied on French 18th-century furnishings, in this form it was more often than not the heavier and more solid furniture of Italy, Spain, and southern Germany that came to symbolise the furnishings of new fashion.

References

  1. John Lucas, The Radical Twenties: Aspects of Writing, Politics and Culture. Nottingham: Five Leaves, 1997. ISBN   0907123171 (pp. 123-25)
  2. Tinniswood, Adrian (2016). The Long Weekend: Life in the English Country House Between the Wars. London: Jonathan Cape. p. ix. ISBN   9780224099455 . Retrieved 24 February 2021.
  3. Clark, William D. (December 1941). "The Long Week End. A Social History of Great Britain, 1918-1939". Journal of Modern History . 13 (4): 563. doi:10.1086/236582.
  4. "The Long Week End. A Social History of Great Britain, 1918-1939". Kirkus Reviews. June 15, 1941. Retrieved 19 July 2017.