Synopses & Reviews
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 It includes a considerable number of hitherto unpublished letters and the complete text of many that were bowdlerized by former editors for a variety of reasons.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.
Synopsis
Byron's letters 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. Readers and reviewers have responded with great enthusiasm to Leslie Marchand's new unexpurgated edition.
About the Author
The late Leslie A. Marchand was Professor of English, Emeritus, Rutgers University. For his lifelong work on Byron, he was given the National Book Critics Circle's Ivan Sandrof Award.
Table of Contents
- Editorial Note
- Byron Chronology
- Text of the Letters (January 1, 1820–December 31, 1820)
- Appendix
- I. List of Letters and Sources
- II. List of Forgeries of Byron’s Letters
- III. Bibliography for Volume VII
- IV. Biographical Sketches for Volume VII
- Index of Proper Names