The best biographies do more than simply rehash the major events in the lives of their subjects: they offer psychological profiles. A great example is Philip Ziegler's biography of Lady Diana Cooper, one of the 20th's most original and celebrated personalities. In the following passage, Ziegler perfectly encapsulates Lady Diana Cooper's nuanced and somewhat contradictory attitude towards social class:
Her political opinions, in so far as she had any, were instinctive and imprecise. She was for conservation, but not necessarily a supporter of the Conservative Party; a monarchist, but not automatically the champion of any individual monarch. On the whole she would have preferred to see the rich man remain in his castle, the poor man at the gate, but if the poor man by industry or sleight of hand gained possession of the castle, she would be perfectly ready to accept an invitation to dine there. What would have disturbed her most would have been if the castle had been demolished and a row of identical bungalows erected on the site, but even this would not have been cause for despair. Diana would have known that the one bungalow would soon be larger and more luxurious, or at least more interesting than the others, and have felt confident that it was to that one she would find her way.
Her political opinions, in so far as she had any, were instinctive and imprecise. She was for conservation, but not necessarily a supporter of the Conservative Party; a monarchist, but not automatically the champion of any individual monarch. On the whole she would have preferred to see the rich man remain in his castle, the poor man at the gate, but if the poor man by industry or sleight of hand gained possession of the castle, she would be perfectly ready to accept an invitation to dine there. What would have disturbed her most would have been if the castle had been demolished and a row of identical bungalows erected on the site, but even this would not have been cause for despair. Diana would have known that the one bungalow would soon be larger and more luxurious, or at least more interesting than the others, and have felt confident that it was to that one she would find her way.
 Diana Cooper, British Embassy in Paris by Cecil Beaton |  Diana Cooper by Philip Ziegler |
Photo Credit: The Happy Years, Diaries: 1944-48
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