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Victorian Literature: Sixty Years of Books and Bookmen. Clement King Shorter
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isbn 4057664622556
Автор произведения Clement King Shorter
Жанр Документальная литература
Издательство Bookwire
An Irishman by descent, although not by birth, was Edward FitzGerald1809-1883, who was born in Suffolk and lived all his life in the neighbourhood of Woodbridge in that county. FitzGerald's "Letters and Literary Remains" fill three substantial volumes, but he lives for us by his translation or rather paraphrase of the "Rubáyát of Omar Khayyám of Naishápur," which first appeared in 1859. It is generally agreed that FitzGerald, a nineteenth century pagan, always reverently questioning the mystery of existence, superadded his own personal thoughts and feelings to the verses of the old Persian singer. In doing this he touched deeply a certain aspect of the second half of the nineteenth century and founded a cult. FitzGerald's verses, however, have been ardently admired by many who are far from accepting their pessimist view of life.
Hartley Coleridge1796-1849 wrote and published his admirable sonnets before 1837. He was a son of Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834), whose literary remains were edited by Henry Nelson Coleridge, a nephew and son-in-law. H. N. Coleridge married the great poet's only daughter, Sara Coleridge1803-1852, who wrote one poem, "Phantasmion," and whose letters throw much light on an important chapter of literary history.
Bryan Waller Procter1787-1874, better known as "Barry Cornwall," was at school with Lord Byron at Harrow. His "Dramatic Scenes," "Marcian Colonna," and "Mirandola" were much talked of in their day. Procter was admired as a poet by Byron, Moore, and other famous contemporaries, but no one reads him now. A happier fate has befallen his daughter, Adelaide Anne Procter1825-1864, whose "Legends and Lyrics" are still widely popular.
Winthrop Mackworth Praed, who wrote much admirable humorous and satirical verse, is not a Victorian author, although his present popularity makes that rather hard to realise. He died in 1839. Richard Hengist Horne1803-1884, on the other hand, although he lived into our time, is now remembered only by his friendship with Mrs Browning and by the humorous freak of publishing his epic "Orion" at a farthing. He was the author of a miracle play entitled "Judas Iscariot," a tragedy entitled "The Death of Marlowe," and many other works.
Another writer of well-nigh forgotten tragedies was Thomas Lovell Beddoes1803-1849, who wrote "The Bride's Tragedy" and "Death's Jest Book." A like extinction, it is to be feared, has befallen Ebenezer Jones and Ebenezer Elliott—the former of whom belonged to that spasmodic school of poets of which Alexander Smith and Philip James Bailey were supposed to be the leaders. Ebenezer Jones 1820-1860 wrote "Studies in Sensation and Event," to which in 1879 his brother, Sumner Jones, attached an interesting biography. There is very genuine poetry in the volume, but it is not likely to be republished. Ebenezer Elliott 1781-1849 had a very different fate. He enjoyed for many years the suffrages of the multitude. His "Corn Law Rhymes" played a considerable part in the political agitation of the period. James Montgomery called him "the poet of the poor." Another writer with a fine democratic impulse was Gerald Massey1828- , who was associated with the Chartist movement, and wrote "Poems and Charms" and "Voices of Freedom and Lyrics of Love." Another Chartist was Thomas Cooper 1805-1892, who wrote "The Purgatory of Suicides" and many other poems and an entertaining autobiography. Cooper was an active political agitator, and was imprisoned for two years in Stafford gaol for sedition.
A poet who holds a great place in the minds of many is William Barnes 1820-1886, who kept a school for a time in Mr Thomas Hardy's town of Dorchester. He afterwards became a clergyman and rector of Winterbourne-Came. He was a philologist as well as a poet, and published many works on language. His interest for us here is in his "Poems of Rural Life in the Dorset Dialect" (1844). Another poet-clergyman of great learning was Robert Stephen Hawker1803-1875 whose work reflects Devonshire and Cornwall as Barnes' reflects Dorsetshire. He wrote the "Song of the Western Men" which he deceived Macaulay into believing to be an old Cornish ballad, and the great historian introduced it into his "History of England" as an example of the excitement caused by the arrest of the seven bishops.[7] Its stirring refrain:—
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