Talk:Lepanto (poem)

Anachronism

The argument made in the article seems to be that Chesterton, in a poem first published in 1911, was taking the political stance typical of World War 1 through the coincidence of its publication in his 1915 collection of poems. There is evidence that combatants in the war did so interpret it, but that was anachronistic and a reading not originally intended by Chesterton. The article is badly sourced and unreliable. Unless a more nuanced interpretation of the poem is provided, I am proposing to delete the unsourced sections by the end of March. Sweetpool50 (talk) 07:50, 28 February 2021 (UTC)

Pre-WWI men as educated as Chesterton would have been aware through political news about the Ottoman Empire's dealings with Germany, notably the beginning in 1910 of construction of the Berlin-Baghdad railway. The Kaiser had much earlier visited Jerusalem to see Saladin's tomb and proclaimed himself a 'natural protector' of the Muslim peoples. The Ottomans were consorting with what was becoming widely recognised as Britain's potential enemy.Cloptonson (talk) 09:37, 27 May 2021 (UTC)

Gallipoli factor?

The poem was published in 1915, same year as the Gallipoli landings. Had they taken place before the book's publication? There was hope among the Allies that this would become a major defeat for Turkey as Lepanto was.Cloptonson (talk) 09:37, 27 May 2021 (UTC)