ABSTRACT
The turn of a century is always a time for thought, but seldom more urgent than the start of the twentieth century. The Edwardian age, that brief period between the death of Queen Victoria, 22 January 1901, and entry into World War I, on 4 August 1914, takes its name from King Edward VII but has roots in the previous decade and extends a bit beyond the king’s death. A decline in confidence was inevitable; one response was to recreate the old heroes. Victorian impetus toward chivalry was fanned by a desire to create an English gentleman, to expand the British Empire by inspiring bravery and energy, to celebrate a simple and noble past. But in many ways there was an evasion of social, political, and economic problems. The recent facsimile chapbook published by Warwick County Library has redistributed the legend and suggests that a film would be appropriate. Guy of Warwick would be a great hero in the cinema.
