Dominion: The History of England from the Battle of Waterloo to Victoria's Diamond Jubilee by Peter Ackroyd

Abstract

Reviewed by: Dominion: The History of England from the Battle of Waterloo to Victoria's Diamond Jubilee by Peter Ackroyd Daniel Waldow Dominion: The History of England from the Battle of Waterloo to Victoria's Diamond Jubilee BY PETER ACKROYD New York, NY: St. Martin's Press, 2018. x + 387 pages. Hardcover: $29.99. ISBN: 9781250003652. Dominion is the fifth volume in Peter Ackroyd's The History of England series. This particular entry covers English history from the year 1815 until Queen Victoria's death in 1901. This period is largely concomitant with John Henry Newman's own life, which began in 1801 and ended in 1890. Dominion is relevant to the field of Newman studies insofar as it provides a broad introduction to the nineteenth-century English context in which Newman lived, thought, and wrote. Ackroyd covers such a wide period and range of historical events that even Newman experts will likely encounter something new here regarding Newman's [End Page 169] surrounding English circumstances and culture. At the same time, Ackroyd's popular, humorous, and fast-paced writing style makes the work easily accessible to those outside of the academy. Dominion unfolds over twenty-eight brief chapters surveying nineteenth-century England in a mostly chronological fashion. Each chapter treats either the major events and figures of a particular period within the 1800s or a broader theme spanning the century. Unfortunately, the chapters do not begin with an explicit introduction or outline of the time period or topics to be covered. This is not a significant issue, though, due to the brief length of each chapter; one can quickly realize what Ackroyd's focus is. As a whole, he tends to especially detail England's national and international politics. The major concerns and acts of prime ministers and parliament, as well as these politicians' complex relations with Queen Victoria, are highlighted. England's empire and dealings with Ireland receive good treatment, and William Gladstone's political career is given ample attention. While these subjects are featured, various other topics receive solid treatment, such as: nineteenth-century technological innovation and progress, religion and morality, economics, urban and rural life, art and literature, and England's various military campaigns. Dominion thus provides a rich portrait of Victorian culture and events. Several chapters stand out as particularly relevant for Newman scholarship. "Eternity Work" (28–35) provides a concise account of Victorian religious attitudes. It shows how the rise of the modern sciences, such as Darwin's On the Origin of Species (1859), helped to decentralize Christianity in the minds of many. "A Queasy World" (36–46) and "The Door of Change" (47–55) discuss the political status of Catholics in England and Ireland leading up to and following the Catholic Relief Bill of 1829. This "Catholic Emancipation" was a fundamental element of the "National Apostasy" that inspired the reactionary formation and work of the Oxford Movement. Ackroyd explains how England's decision to allow Catholics to hold political office was one aspect of a growing tendency to separate religion from politics. This tendency was itself a result of increasing religious indifference in England. "Steam and Speed" (77–86) traces the development of machinery and electricity in the 1800s, as manifested most dramatically in the invention of trains and telegraphs. The human capacity for travel and communication now seemed limitless, as did our power to control and change the material world. Technology and production, not God, dominated people's concerns. Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, written in 1818, reflects the preoccupations of the era. "Lost Illusions" (336–41) focuses on Oscar Wilde to signify the religious and moral decline, division, and apprehension within England at the close of the century. On one hand, England's general revulsion at Wilde's sexual exploits with poor men manifested the country's traditional ethics. On the other hand, the popularity of Wilde's writing displayed England's fascination with the degradation [End Page 170] of nobility and duty in favor of the notion that "pleasure was the only thing one should live for, and self-realization the primary aim of existence" (340). These five chapters in particular effectively highlight the social circumstances that helped shape Newman's...