Queen Victoria: A Portrait.Queen Victoria: A Portrait, by Giles St. Aubyn (Atheneum ath·e·nae·um also ath·e·ne·um n. 1. An institution, such as a literary club or scientific academy, for the promotion of learning. 2. A place, such as a library, where printed materials are available for reading. , 669 pp., $29.95) A USEFUL contribution of Giles St. Aubyn's portrait is that it reminds us how German the royals of England are. Queen Victoria's family was almost entirely German, she was raised among Germans living in England, and she married a German. Luekily, all spoke English, or things might have come to a pretty pass. The Queen was, of course, a resolute person of strong opinions, who developed the habit of underlining un·der·lin·ing n. 1. The act of drawing a line under; underscoring. 2. Emphasis or stress, as in instruction or argument. many of the words in her diary for extra force. She also benefited from great common sense. Mr. St. Aubyn reminds us that throughout "her reign, 'the stupidest man's opinion' carried more weight with her 'than the cleverest woman's.'" As the woman who gave her name to the age in which she lived, she was rather remarkable; and both she and her age have been remarkably misunderstood. The next time someone smirks to you about repressive, backward Victorianism, ask him how he can condescend con·de·scend intr.v. con·de·scend·ed, con·de·scend·ing, con·de·scends 1. To descend to the level of one considered inferior; lower oneself. See Synonyms at stoop1. 2. to a period brimming brim n. 1. The rim or uppermost edge of a hollow container or natural basin. 2. A projecting rim or edge: the brim of a hat. 3. A border or an edge. See Synonyms at border. with eccentric geniuses who mapped, conquered, and Christianized the globe, while the statesmen at home improved the masses with reform and in their spare time wrote theological tracts, political treatises, and novels, and made witty remarks at parties while the beautiful people waltzed instead of discoing, and the populace listened to Gilbert and Sullivan 1. William Schwenk Gilbert erson> and Sir Arthur Sullivan erson>, who collaborated on a number of light operas. See Gilbert. Noun 1. Gilbert and Sullivan - the music of Gilbert and Sullivan; "he could sing all of Gilbert and Sullivan" instead of to rap. Man's spiritual journey since the death of the Widow of Windsor has been one long diminuendo di·min·u·en·do n., adv. & adj. Music Abbr. dim. or dimin. Decrescendo. [Italian, present participle of diminuire, to diminish, from Latin on a kazoo. |
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