“Human beings are too important to be treated as mere symptoms of the past. They have a value which is independent of any temporal process which is eternal, and must be felt for its own sake.”
The novel being a biography of four different figures Strachey has to delve into the human nature of these figures to paint an accurate picture. Strachey as a firm believer in illustrating the true personalities of her subjects asserts the statement in the preface to capture the notion. Time has a way to mold certain figures as to how society chooses to view them but he aims to unravel the humanity behind every legend.
“When the onward rush of a powerful spirit sweeps a weaker one to its destruction, the commonplaces of the moral judgement are better left unmade.”
The statement alludes to how Sidney Herbert worked himself into a mental breakdown to achieve the vision that he urged Florence Nightingale to pursue. In this case, Sidney Herbert is the weaker spirit whilst the powerful one is Nightingale. In that Nightingale become the Victorian figure venerated for the accomplishment while the efforts of some are left untold. Strachey debunks the common myths bestowed upon Victorian figures, showing their flaws and the misconstructions built over time.
