'Hearts of Controversy' Summary

Alice Meynell, known for her own poetry and essays, takes on the giants of Victorian literature in "Hearts of Controversy." She explores the works of Charles Dickens, revealing both admiration and critique of his social commentary and narrative style. Tennyson's poetry is examined through a lens of his complex relationship with the Victorian age and his ability to capture the spirit of the time. The Brontë sisters, particularly Charlotte, receive attention for their powerful female characters and their exploration of societal constraints. Meynell's essays are characterized by their thoughtful engagement with the authors' works and their exploration of the social and cultural context in which they were created. Throughout the essays, Meynell's own convictions as a suffragist and her later conversion to Roman Catholicism subtly inform her interpretations, adding another dimension to her insightful analyses.