University Press Copublishing Division / University of Delaware Press
Pages: 388
•
Trim: 6¼ x 9½
978-1-61149-591-1 • Hardback • December 2015 • $129.00 • (£99.00)
978-1-61149-592-8 • eBook • December 2015 • $122.50 • (£95.00)
Susan Matoff is an independent scholar.
Dedication
EpigraphAcknowledgementsList of IllustrationsAbbreviationsPrefaceProloguePart I: 1788-1830
Chapter 1The Transformation
Chapter 2Early Married Life
Chapter 3Direction Genoa
Chapter 4Idling In Naples
Chapter 5Friendship, Scandal and Farewell
Chapter 6Paris: The End of the Beginning
Chapter 7Recovery and Revolution
Part II: 1831 – 1839
Chapter 8 A New Beginning in London
Chapter 9Launching into Literature
Chapter 10Adding an Annual
Chapter 111834, The Year of Literary Lions
Chapter 12Last Days in Seamore Place
Chapter 13Gore House
Chapter 14Confessions and Victims
Chapter 15Struggling On
Part III: 1840 And Later
Chapter 16On the Edge of the Slope
Chapter 17Fighting Back
Chapter 18Still Fighting
Chapter 19Sliding Down
Chapter 20Finale
Chapter 21After Effects
Chapter 22Presumptions of Posterity
Appendix IBooks by Lady Blessington
Appendix IIContributions by Lady Blessington to Annuals and Periodicals
Bibliography
About the Author
Index
Impeccably researched, Matoff’s biography offers a treasure trove of information and detail. She draws widely on archival sources, including Lady Blessington’s extensive correspondence, and Matoff’s liberal incorporation of quotations from primary source material helps many of the witty, urbane voices in her circle come alive for a reader. Matoff’s treatment of the literary works produced by Lady Blessington is primarily descriptive, but is of great help in understanding the circumstances of their composition, Lady Blessington’s writing process and sentiments about her works, and their critical reception. Because of the genres in which Lady Blessington wrote, many of which have not received wide critical attention, this biography fits well within the recent rise of interest in silver-fork novels and giftbooks and literary annuals. Scholars with interests in these genres will benefit from Matoff’s careful documentation…. By telling readers the story of Lady Blessington’s life and her many impressive accomplishments, Matoff creates an opportunity not only to revisit a specific individual, but also to unpack notions of authorship, celebrity and gender, and how those notions have both shifted and remained constant over time…. [A] meticulous and well-written study.
— Women's Writing
In the words of its author, this new biography of Lady Blessington ‘seeks to place her where she belongs in history -- as an important and influential salonnière; a writer of many works, some of which deserve serious attention; an editor of two of the most popular annuals of her day; and a valued friend and confidante.’… [T]his intention has been realized. In the text and the two Appendices, we have here the most complete identification and description to date of the books, stories, and verse written by Lady Blessington. We also have the most detailed and thorough description yet of the events of her life and the relationships within her parental and marital families. Matoff's book is thus welcome, for there hasn't been a serious full study of any of this material in more than 80 years…. Matoff's biography is very much shaped by what she sees as the tragic arc of Lady Blessington's life, and there is no denying that her social triumph amidst the events of a ‘turbulent life’ makes a fascinating story, well worth telling again. The real scholarly contribution of this study, though, is the detailed account of Lady Blessington's literary career as an editor and author.
— Review 19