The Memoirs of John Addington Symonds

A Critical Edition

Nonfiction, History, British, Fiction & Literature, Literary Theory & Criticism
Cover of the book The Memoirs of John Addington Symonds by , Palgrave Macmillan UK
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: ISBN: 9781137291240
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan UK Publication: February 9, 2017
Imprint: Palgrave Macmillan Language: English
Author:
ISBN: 9781137291240
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan UK
Publication: February 9, 2017
Imprint: Palgrave Macmillan
Language: English

This edition is the first to reproduce John Addington Symonds's Memoirs in its entirety. It offers a panoramic view of middle-class Victorian life, shedding light upon sexual cultures and life histories too often hidden from history. Symonds (1840-93) began writing his Memoirs in 1889. It was, he confessed, 'a foolish thing to do.' Symonds was a respected man of letters, an historian, translator, essayist and poet; he was also married with children. But rather than unfold a simple tale of public and private achievement, the Memoirs record his struggle to reconcile his homosexuality with these professional and familial identities. His autobiography offers a confessional account of relationships beyond the accepted bounds of nineteenth-century social mores, presenting an alternative case study that contests the legal and medical authorities that would label his desires a crime or disease. Yet being so eloquent on matters of heterodox sexuality, the Memoirs were suppressed. The manuscript survives because Symonds recognised its import, however 'foolish': he instructed his literary executor to preserve the text, a duty ultimately discharged by placing the manuscript under embargo in the care of the London Library.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

This edition is the first to reproduce John Addington Symonds's Memoirs in its entirety. It offers a panoramic view of middle-class Victorian life, shedding light upon sexual cultures and life histories too often hidden from history. Symonds (1840-93) began writing his Memoirs in 1889. It was, he confessed, 'a foolish thing to do.' Symonds was a respected man of letters, an historian, translator, essayist and poet; he was also married with children. But rather than unfold a simple tale of public and private achievement, the Memoirs record his struggle to reconcile his homosexuality with these professional and familial identities. His autobiography offers a confessional account of relationships beyond the accepted bounds of nineteenth-century social mores, presenting an alternative case study that contests the legal and medical authorities that would label his desires a crime or disease. Yet being so eloquent on matters of heterodox sexuality, the Memoirs were suppressed. The manuscript survives because Symonds recognised its import, however 'foolish': he instructed his literary executor to preserve the text, a duty ultimately discharged by placing the manuscript under embargo in the care of the London Library.

More books from Palgrave Macmillan UK

Cover of the book Myth and Philosophy in Platonic Dialogues by
Cover of the book Middlebrow Literary Cultures by
Cover of the book Action Learning by
Cover of the book Staging Trauma by
Cover of the book The Women's War of 1929 by
Cover of the book Universities, Rankings and the Dynamics of Global Higher Education by
Cover of the book Mapping Mass Mobilization by
Cover of the book Democratic Counterinsurgents by
Cover of the book Greek Banking by
Cover of the book Galician and Irish in the European Context by
Cover of the book Storytelling: Critical and Creative Approaches by
Cover of the book The Second Automobile Revolution by
Cover of the book International Organizations and Development, 1945-1990 by
Cover of the book Territorial Choice by
Cover of the book Power in the International Investment Framework by
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy