Many remember King George V as the ruler of the British Empire. In politics, he supported British soldiers during World War I, gave a voice to the middle class, and was a witness to India’s independence movement. In private circles, he was thought of as a traditional man, a non-intellectual devoted to his family and country. In literature, he was known for a brand of poetic works called Gregorian poetry, described to be a series of anthologies consisting of a certain type of English poem that rose within the King’s reign.

Gregorian poets were those whose works have appeared in these anthologies, and include the likes of Robert Graves, Rupert Brooke, and Walter de la Mare. It started when Sir Edward Marsh, a British polymath, and Brooke wanted to make poetry more appealing and accessible to general audiences. With the help of Monro, Gibson, Drinkwater, and other influential writers, they plotted anthologies that would become known as “Gregorian”, to suggest a new age of poetry that was tied with the rise of King George V. A total of five volumes were published from 1912 to 1922.

Much of these works were inspired by nature and the countryside, as well as different aspects of the Romantic character. It has characters that do not stand out in any way. Gregorian poems are easy to read and may include themes such as old age, animals, nature, sleep, and other wild or domestic animals. The poetry wasn’t meant to be striking in any way and was read like a children’s book. Despite its prestigious namesake, the works eventually became synonymous with looking back unhealthily at the past, rather than towards the future. This was especially true when World War I began. T.S. Eliot, an influential poet of the era, had described the poetry as only meant for nice people. It catered too much to society and lacked originality and depth. It was too simplistic for the complexities of the age and was somewhat of a reflection of the king himself.

It was during this time that literature was influenced by the realities of the war. This gave way to symbolists, imaginists, and surrealists who were attempting to innovate poetry that reflected the conflicts and difficulties now brought into the real world. While most poets were still enamored with Gregorian and Victorian traditions, inevitably, the traditions became irrelevant, with Gregorian characters fading into obscurity as people become more aware of the decadence around them. No longer did people want to see formal poetry that delved into idyllic, romantic subjects, not when there was destruction around them.

Despite the original intention of Gregorian poetry to be the rise of a new age of poetry, in actuality, it was seen as unfavorable, too idealistic compared to the realities of the cruelty of the world. Gregorian poets like Robert Graves and Siegfried Sassoon later became the forefront of what would become known as the modernist movement, which focused on a character’s inner struggles and conflicts. Writers discarded the romantic themes of writing in favor of the disillusionment of reality. In other words, writers were growing up. Even so, Gregorian poetry did serve as an attempt to preserve the innocence of the many traditions that came before it. Though it was lambasted for its simplicity, it also represented the finality of England’s childish interpretations of the world around them, just before its works were abruptly introduced to the uncertainties of war.