Just an idle speculation: if you could meet one historical personality from the Victorian period with whom to raise a few glasses (and possibly break a few heads), whom would you choose? A hard question (if not completely silly) I know. Though one’s answer may vary with mood, I think spending an hour or two with Sir Richard Francis Burton would be very interesting (possibly in the sense of the old Chinese proverb…).
– Mal
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, definitely.
Alfred, Lord Tennyson! I would tell him of a future where his works are studied by all sorts of people all over the world, including awkward undergraduates in a classroom that is way too chilly.
edited by Sestina Valdis on 10/10/2015
Tesla. Always Tesla. That guy was crazy but amazing at the same time. Best combination of qualities I can think of.
Marx!
As you say a very tricky question, so I’m afraid it’s going to have to be a small dinner party. Augusta Ada King, Countess of Lovelace, Hector Hugh Munroe aka Saki, and Joseph Conrad. Although whether I’d be able to keep up with the conversation is a different matter.
Why has nobody mentioned Darwin?! Also, I second Tesla.