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Byron's Letters and Journals #2
‘Famous in my time,’ 1810–1812 (Volume II)
George Gordon Byron was a superb letter-writer: almost all his letters, whatever the subject or whoever the recipient, are enlivened by his wit, his irony, his honesty, and the sharpness of his observation of people. They provide a vivid self-portrait of the man who, of all his contemporaries, seems to express attitudes and feelings most in tune with the twentieth century. In addition, they offer a mirror of his own time. This first collected edition of all Byron's known letters supersedes Prothero's incomplete edition at the turn of the century. It includes a considerable number of hitherto unpublished letters and the complete text of many that were bowdlerized by former editors for a variety of reasons. Prothero's edition included 1,198 letters. This edition has more than 3,000, over 80 percent of them transcribed entirely from the original manuscripts.
The second volume of Byron's letters embraces his second year in Greece, his revealing accounts to Hobhouse and others of his life in Athens, his visit to Veli Pasha, and his return by Malta to England. It covers the period of the loss of his mother and of several of his closest friends, of his first acquaintance with Moore and Rogers, his maiden speech in the House of Lords, the publication of Childe Harold, and the resulting fame that brought him into Whig society. It marks the beginning of his correspondence with Lady Melbourne, who became the confidante of his liaisons with Lady Caroline Lamb and Lady Oxford, and who forwarded his first (rejected) proposal to Annabella Milbanke. Leslie A. Marchand, the author of critical studies and of the definitive biography of Byron, has brought a lifetime of study to the major task of editing these letters. He has done it with a restraint and objectivity that allows Byron to come through to us with unimpeded clarity.
The second volume of Byron's letters embraces his second year in Greece, his revealing accounts to Hobhouse and others of his life in Athens, his visit to Veli Pasha, and his return by Malta to England. It covers the period of the loss of his mother and of several of his closest friends, of his first acquaintance with Moore and Rogers, his maiden speech in the House of Lords, the publication of Childe Harold, and the resulting fame that brought him into Whig society. It marks the beginning of his correspondence with Lady Melbourne, who became the confidante of his liaisons with Lady Caroline Lamb and Lady Oxford, and who forwarded his first (rejected) proposal to Annabella Milbanke. Leslie A. Marchand, the author of critical studies and of the definitive biography of Byron, has brought a lifetime of study to the major task of editing these letters. He has done it with a restraint and objectivity that allows Byron to come through to us with unimpeded clarity.
- GenresRomanticismNonfiction
308 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1973
About the author
Lord Byron
4,452 books2,154 followersGeorge Gordon Byron (invariably known as Lord Byron), later Noel, 6th Baron Byron of Rochdale FRS was a British poet and a leading figure in Romanticism. Amongst Byron's best-known works are the brief poems She Walks in Beauty, When We Two Parted, and So, we'll go no more a roving, in addition to the narrative poems Childe Harold's Pilgrimage and Don Juan. He is regarded as one of the greatest British poets and remains widely read and influential, both in the English-speaking world and beyond.
Byron's notabilty rests not only on his writings but also on his life, which featured upper-class living, numerous love affairs, debts, and separation. He was notably described by Lady Caroline Lamb as "mad, bad, and dangerous to know". Byron served as a regional leader of Italy's revolutionary organization, the Carbonari, in its struggle against Austria. He later travelled to fight against the Ottoman Empire in the Greek War of Independence, for which Greeks revere him as a national hero. He died from a fever contracted while in Messolonghi in Greece.
Byron's notabilty rests not only on his writings but also on his life, which featured upper-class living, numerous love affairs, debts, and separation. He was notably described by Lady Caroline Lamb as "mad, bad, and dangerous to know". Byron served as a regional leader of Italy's revolutionary organization, the Carbonari, in its struggle against Austria. He later travelled to fight against the Ottoman Empire in the Greek War of Independence, for which Greeks revere him as a national hero. He died from a fever contracted while in Messolonghi in Greece.
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April 18, 2018
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If you are a fan of Byron's poetry then this is fascinating; there are a great many letters to and from his editors and friends about his poetry, and you can watch him working on it as he writes to request this change of words or for that to be omitted and this added. If you're not interested in poetry editing and publishing then no doubt this will bore you to tears!
On the other hand, if you are interested in Byron as a person then his character shines through in his writing. What a mercurial fellow he is. So unlucky in love; of course it's completely his own doing. Like many men who are desperate to be loved and terrified to be vulnerable, he's a misogynist in general, saying I have no very high opinion of your sex, but when I do see a woman superior not only to all her own but to most of ours I worship her in proportion as I despire the rest. Pity the poor woman who is thus elevated, sooner or later he'll discover that she's only human and cast her down again.
Lady Melbourne comes into his life at this point, and it's wonderful see. No doubt part of the reason that Byron was able to esteem her so highly was that she was 60 years old and therefore his lust couldn't cloud his judgement.
He writes the most wonderful letters to her, candid, intimate, bitchy. His tumultous affair with Caroline Lamb took place during this time. There are only a few of his letters to Caroline (and of course none from Caroline to him) so you can't really get much of a feel of their relationship. However, his letters to Lady Melbourne are full of detail as she helps guide him through the impossible task of breaking up with Caroline.
What I really want now is a volume of letters between Byron and Lady Melbourne because I'm dying to see her responses to him. Reading these letters is like listening to half a telephone conversation. I go absolutely nutty when he says something along the lines of, 'I competely agree with your last - ' and I don't know what her last was!
In this respect, having google open as you read is invaluable. Some of the responses to Byron are online. The book includes his letters to Rushton and Susan Vaughan, his servant and his mistress who he suspected of having an affair together, but online you can find her letters to him which help complete the picture of what happened there.
Wikipedia is also very useful for looking up all the people Byron writes to, many of them are very interesting in their own right, and it helps give context to his letters. His friend Hodgson was a cleric, so it makes more sense that Byron is always teasing him with atheism.
He writes about his friend, Lady Oxford, but obviously he was too discrete to be explicit about the fact that they were having an affair in any letter. Once you've googled her then the way he talks about her makes a lot more sense - as well as his worry that Caroline Lamb is going to write to Lord Oxford!
And finally, if you are interested in the Regency period at all then this is wonderfully good fun. I especially enjoy the way the aristocracy are always junketing around the countryside staying at each others houses or various spa locations and then coming back to town to rent a house 'near St. James', of course!
If you are a fan of Byron's poetry then this is fascinating; there are a great many letters to and from his editors and friends about his poetry, and you can watch him working on it as he writes to request this change of words or for that to be omitted and this added. If you're not interested in poetry editing and publishing then no doubt this will bore you to tears!
On the other hand, if you are interested in Byron as a person then his character shines through in his writing. What a mercurial fellow he is. So unlucky in love; of course it's completely his own doing. Like many men who are desperate to be loved and terrified to be vulnerable, he's a misogynist in general, saying I have no very high opinion of your sex, but when I do see a woman superior not only to all her own but to most of ours I worship her in proportion as I despire the rest. Pity the poor woman who is thus elevated, sooner or later he'll discover that she's only human and cast her down again.
Lady Melbourne comes into his life at this point, and it's wonderful see. No doubt part of the reason that Byron was able to esteem her so highly was that she was 60 years old and therefore his lust couldn't cloud his judgement.
Lady Melbourne by George Romney - Christie's, LotFinder: entry 1368724, Public Domain, Link
He writes the most wonderful letters to her, candid, intimate, bitchy. His tumultous affair with Caroline Lamb took place during this time. There are only a few of his letters to Caroline (and of course none from Caroline to him) so you can't really get much of a feel of their relationship. However, his letters to Lady Melbourne are full of detail as she helps guide him through the impossible task of breaking up with Caroline.
What I really want now is a volume of letters between Byron and Lady Melbourne because I'm dying to see her responses to him. Reading these letters is like listening to half a telephone conversation. I go absolutely nutty when he says something along the lines of, 'I competely agree with your last - ' and I don't know what her last was!
In this respect, having google open as you read is invaluable. Some of the responses to Byron are online. The book includes his letters to Rushton and Susan Vaughan, his servant and his mistress who he suspected of having an affair together, but online you can find her letters to him which help complete the picture of what happened there.
Wikipedia is also very useful for looking up all the people Byron writes to, many of them are very interesting in their own right, and it helps give context to his letters. His friend Hodgson was a cleric, so it makes more sense that Byron is always teasing him with atheism.
He writes about his friend, Lady Oxford, but obviously he was too discrete to be explicit about the fact that they were having an affair in any letter. Once you've googled her then the way he talks about her makes a lot more sense - as well as his worry that Caroline Lamb is going to write to Lord Oxford!
And finally, if you are interested in the Regency period at all then this is wonderfully good fun. I especially enjoy the way the aristocracy are always junketing around the countryside staying at each others houses or various spa locations and then coming back to town to rent a house 'near St. James', of course!
Displaying 1 of 1 review