Ten sentences of advice.

[Extropian]

Melmoth writes;
True.
But the way I see it, Victorian England wasn't patronising, us such. Underpinning its various insecurities was an obsessive fascination with decay. The decay of 'Civilisation,' or that which rises us above the status of animals, along with all of the moral and social imperatives encompassed within that. They were the first in the 'civilised' world to fully realise the fragility of those things, propped up as they must be on a base, savage and inescapably animal nature. (Guess who had a lot to do with that. Begins with C and ends with Darwin) This with the time when England first began to question the integrity of the civilised soul. Which had a lot of implications for Imperialism, which saw itself as a positive force, progressively civilising the world.

Look no further than The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, or The Picture of Dorian Grey, or ask yourself why Jack the Ripper became such a legend if you want to see my point made explicity.

Edit: I'll say no more on this. Way too off topic, but I get carried away with this stuff. Wouldn't mind discussing books with you in a separate topic though Mr. E.
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Extropian;
It's gratifying to be witness to a facility with and a subtlety of language somewhat above what the ancient Romans and Colleen McCullough called the "head count".

As to the metaphysical and moral observations of English authors and scholars during the Victorian era, I admit to a grievous ignorance of this vital aspect of social history.

I regret that time has necessarily limited my literary tastes to non-fiction in the form of biography and history in general but with a bias toward central and east Asia. And this may have led to a sort of complementary interest in the espionage genre and the two world wars of the 20th century. I have most of John LeCarre's and Len Deighton's novels plus a comprehensive collection of histories on spying and cryptography.

I participate occasionally in discussion on a couple of online military history groups.

As for the classics of English literature, my erudition would disappoint even the most casual reader.

Sorry to disappoint if you favoured a genuine literary exchange. But if anything above is a shared interest, I'd be delighted to discuss and learn.

Extropian