IndexIntroductionLytton Strachey's Depiction of Florence Nightingale: SummaryConclusionIntroductionStrachey, in "Eminent Victorians", reflects on the character of the infamous historical heroine Florence Nightingale to cast an imprint on the past lives of ordinary citizens, mainly women, as unfulfilling and unsatisfying, and through this negative representation of Victorian England, the author is able to support the perception of the 20th century, by contrast, as a time of female liberation. Strachey presents the female form in Victorian England as one defined by social expectations, perhaps calling it "high art" due to the influence others had in shaping how it was perceived. Although the singular female protagonist - Florence Nightingale - may be used by the author to symbolize the impending women's revolution of 20th century feminism, it could be argued that her desire to reject all social expectations of her characters perhaps serves as a warning of the dangers of radical female individualism. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Lytton Strachey's Depiction of Florence Nightingale: Summary Throughout the prose, Strachey presents the protagonist's identity as completely defined by both external social influences and public perception of how he should behave. There is a semantic field of spirituality that seeps through the verse, portraying religion, for the Victorians, as a guiding force throughout life, and this is made particularly evident through the rhetorical question "What was the secret voice in his ear if it was not a calling?': here the author suggests a complete upheaval of female identity, as her 'secret' mental thoughts are attributed to divine force rather than to her own personality, and the series of exclamations - 'Ah! To do her duty in that state of life to which God had intended to call her!” – further present her life path as chosen by forces other than herself, in contrast to the growing strength of post-World War II feminism that she saw Many women begin to make more decisions about how to live. In light of this context, Strachey's presentation of Nightingale as confined not only by religious force, but also by social influences, particularly portrays how the "human character changed" during the he early 20th century through the juxtaposition of women's subsequent religious and social liberation. With the subject of the analysis being Nightingale herself, Strachey begins the first two paragraphs by referring to other characters, to reflect the great extent to which audience perceptions have shaped our view of Nightingale. The first paragraph opens by stating that “EVERY” knew women as “holy, selfless,” and the capitalized sibilance of the first word is used to reflect the passivity of women in Victorian England, with the setting of “The Horrors of the hospital" further presents the character as literally trapped within the walls of the building, to mirror the limitations placed on Victorian women. While the author continues to maintain that "the truth was different", the next paragraph similarly opens with reference to the figure's social environment ("His family was extremely wealthy") and then proceeds with the list of places, from From “New Forest” to “London”: While the syndetic list form here may work to portray the character as having more freedom than initially assumed as being able to move from place to place, the’.