Byron in Geneva : that Summer of 1816 / David Ellis.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Ellis, David, 1939-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

British--Geneva, Lake (Switzerland and France)--History--19th century.

British.

Poets, English--19th century--Biography.

Poets, English.

Byron, George Gordon Byron, Baron, 1788-1824.

Byron, George Gordon Byron.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xi, 189 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Liverpool : Liverpool University Press, 2011.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

In 1816, following the scandalous collapse of his marriage, Lord Byron left England forever. His first destination was the Villa Diodati by Lake Geneva where he stayed together with Percy Bysshe Shelley, Mary Godwin, Claire Clairmont and John Polidori. Byron in Geneva focuses sharply on the poet’s life in the summer of that year, a famous time for meteorologists (for whom 1816 is the year without a summer), but also that crucial moment in the development of his writing when, urged on by Shelley, Byron tried to transform himself into a Romantic poet of the Wordsworthian variety. The book gives a vivid impression of what Byron thought and felt in these few months after the breakdown of his marriage, but also explores the different aspects of his nature that emerge in contact with a remarkable cast of supporting characters, which also included Madame de Staël, who presided over a famous salon in Coppet, across the lake from Geneva, and Matthew Lewis, author of the splendidly erotic `Gothic’ best-seller, The Monk. David Ellis sets out to challenge recent damning studies of Byron and through his meticulous exploration of the private and public life of the poet at this pivotal moment, he reasserts the value of Byron’s wit, warm-heartedness, and hatred of cant.

Contents:

Heading for Geneva

The Shelley Party

On the Road

First Meetings

Diodati

Frightening Tales

A Narrow Escape

Chillon, Clarens and Ouchy

Coppet

Romans a clef

Chamonix

The Problem of Claire and the First of the Visitors

Reconciliation

Old Friends

Polidori Does Not Suit

The Jungfrau

Lewis, de Stael and "Poor Polidori"

The Shelley Party and Allegra

The Road to Greece

Last Rites.

Notes:

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 02 Oct 2015).

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

1-78138-626-9

1-84631-716-9

OCLC:

735593206