Imperialism in English poetry between 1875 and 1900.

Probably at no time in the history of English Literature did the poets reflect their environment as in the Victorian Age. It was an age of achievement in every field, especially in science, politics and literature. At the same time, however, as time passed, it became an age of doubt and uncertainty. Old standards were destroyed under the force of the new science and the new industrial power, and the end of the century saw the rise of a cynicism which made itself felt in many phases of Victorian life. One of the most striking occurrences of the age was the rise of Imperialism as a political doctrine. Its influence upon the great masses of the people during the last twenty-five years of the period was extremely powerful, and its emotional appeal swayed the nation strongly from the Queen to the humblest subject of the realm. [...] Inasmuch as this work deals exclusively with the imperialist poetry of the poets, it is naturally confined in most cases to a limited portion or their work, and consequently no complete evaluation of their poetical writings is here attempted. I have, however, sought to associate all work pertinent to the imperial aspects of the poetry, so that a complete picture of the poet’s political outlook is approximated