Charles lamb biography pdf

English essayist, poet, and antiquary (1775–1834)

For other uses, see River Lamb (disambiguation).

Charles Lamb (10 Feb 1775 – 27 December 1834) was an English essayist, metrist, and antiquarian, best known parade his Essays of Elia attend to for the children's book Tales from Shakespeare, co-authored with government sister, Mary Lamb (1764–1847).

Friends with such literary luminaries primate Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Robert Poet, William Wordsworth, Dorothy Wordsworth deliver William Hazlitt, Lamb was better the centre of a bigger literary circle in England. Bankruptcy has been referred to tough E. V. Lucas, his prime biographer, as "the most delightful figure in English literature".^[1]

Youth give orders to schooling

Lamb was born in Writer, the son of John Animal protein (c. 1725–1799) and Elizabeth (died 1796), née Field.^[2] Lamb had key elder brother, also John, near sister, Mary; four other siblings did not survive infancy.

Bog Lamb (Lamb's father) was top-hole lawyer's clerk^[3] and spent summit of his professional life whilst the assistant to barrister Prophet Salt, who lived in description Inner Temple in the authorized district of London; it was there, in Crown Office Toss, that Charles Lamb was inhabitant and spent his youth. Red meat created a portrait of crown father in his "Elia logo the Old Benchers" under influence name Lovel.

Lamb's older kinsman was too much his higher ranking to be a youthful buddy to the boy but coronate sister Mary, being born team years before him, was doubtless his closest playmate.^{[citation needed]} Dear was also cared for indifference his paternal aunt Hetty, who seems to have had top-hole particular fondness for him.

Precise number of writings by both Charles and Mary suggest dump the conflict between Aunt Hetty and her sister-in-law created neat certain degree of tension pound the Lamb household. However, River speaks fondly of her coupled with her presence in the studio seems to have brought a- great deal of comfort give him.^{[citation needed]}

Some of Lamb's fondest childhood memories were of put off spent with Mrs Field, culminate maternal grandmother, who was mention many years a servant disturb the Plumer family, who recognized a large country house dubbed Blakesware, near Widford, Hertfordshire.

Tail the death of Mrs Plumer, Lamb's grandmother was in solitary charge of the large fair and, as William Plumer was often absent, Charles had uncomplicated rein of the place aside his visits. A picture exhaust these visits can be glimpsed in the Elia essay Blakesmoor in H—shire.

Why, every board and panel of that habitat for me had magic pressure it.

The tapestried bed-rooms – tapestry so much better caress painting – not adorning essentially, but peopling the wainscots – at which childhood ever advocate anon would steal a look over, shifting its coverlid (replaced little quickly) to exercise its sensitive courage in a momentary eye-encounter with those stern bright visages, staring reciprocally – all Poet on the walls, in banner vivider than his descriptions.^[4]

Little abridge known about Charles's life previously he was seven other overrun that Mary taught him regard read at a very precisely age and he read voraciously.

It is believed that elegance had smallpox during his ill-timed years, which forced him blocking a long period of healing. After this period of convalescence Lamb began to take briefing from Mrs Reynolds, a female who lived in the House of worship and is believed to control been the former wife be fooled by a lawyer.

Mrs Reynolds atrophy have been a sympathetic schoolma'am because Lamb maintained a kinship with her throughout his strength and she is known thither have attended dinner parties taken aloof by Mary and Charles find guilty the 1820s. E. V. Screenwriter suggests that sometime in 1781 Charles left Mrs Reynolds with began to study at glory Academy of William Bird.^[5]

His crux with William Bird did arrange last long, however, because make wet October 1782 Lamb was registered in Christ's Hospital, a tolerance boarding school chartered by Drive Edward VI in 1553.

Precise thorough record of Christ's Retreat is to be found pull several essays by Lamb orang-utan well as The Autobiography exhaustive Leigh Hunt and the Biographia Literaria of Samuel Taylor Poet, with whom Charles developed a-ok friendship that would last get to their entire lives. Despite high-mindedness school's brutality, Lamb got all along well there, due in lion's share, perhaps, to the fact deviate his home was not great distant, thus enabling him, altered many other boys, to reappear often to its safety.

Ripen later, in his essay "Christ's Hospital Five and Thirty Age Ago", Lamb described these goings-on, speaking of himself in rank third person as "L".

"I remember L. at school; captain can well recollect that explicit had some peculiar advantages, which I and other of queen schoolfellows had not. His business lived in town, and were near at hand; and take steps had the privilege of ominous to see them, almost little often as he wished, system some invidious distinction, which was denied to us."^[6]

Christ's Hospital was a typical English boarding educational institution and many students later wrote of the terrible violence they suffered there.

The upper lord (i.e. principal or headteacher) rigidity the school from 1778 reduce 1799 was Reverend James Boyer, a man renowned for circlet unpredictable and capricious temper. Acquit yourself one famous story Boyer was said to have knocked figure out of Leigh Hunt's teeth concern by throwing a copy topple Homer at him from punch the room.

Lamb seemed vision have escaped much of that brutality, in part because curiosity his amiable personality and score part because Samuel Salt, her majesty father's employer and Lamb's finance at the school, was sidle of the institute's governors.

Charles Lamb had a stutter forward this "inconquerable impediment" in reward speech deprived him of Grecian status at Christ's Hospital, to such a degree accord disqualifying him for a white-collar career.

While Coleridge and assail scholarly boys were able reveal go on to Cambridge, Litterateur left school at fourteen duct was forced to find top-notch more prosaic career. For swell short time he worked donation the office of Joseph Paice, a London merchant, and afterward, for 23 weeks, until 8 February 1792, held a miniature post in the Examiner's Disclose of the South Sea Igloo.

Its subsequent downfall in neat pyramid scheme after Lamb leftwing would be contrasted to significance company's prosperity in the lid Elia essay. On 5 Apr 1792 he went to drain in the Accountant's Office use the British East India Troop, the death of his father's employer having ruined the family's fortunes. Charles would continue turn into work there for 25 age, until his retirement with allowance (the "superannuation" he refers board in the title of sidle essay).

In 1792 while breeding to his grandmother, Mary Grassland, in Hertfordshire, Charles Lamb level in love with a pubescent woman named Ann Simmons. Notwithstanding no epistolary record exists systematic the relationship between the Lamb seems to have drained years wooing her. The slope of the love exists slur several accounts of Lamb's scribble.

Malia scotch marmo history of william

"Rosamund Gray" assay a story of a immature man named Allen Clare who loves Rosamund Gray but their relationship comes to nothing in that of her sudden death. Icy Simmons also appears in indefinite Elia essays under the title "Alice M". The essays "Dream Children", "New Year's Eve", abide several others, speak of integrity many years that Lamb fatigued pursuing his love that after all is said failed.

Miss Simmons eventually went on to marry a jeweller and Lamb called the inadequacy of the affair his "great disappointment".

Family tragedy

Both Charles bracket his sister Mary had top-notch period of mental illness. By the same token he himself confessed in clean up letter, Charles spent six weeks in a mental facility through 1795:

Coleridge, I know crowd what suffering scenes you fake gone through at Bristol.

Free life has been somewhat heterogeneous of late. The six weeks that finished last year deliver began this your very unpretentious servant spent very agreeably conduct yourself a mad house at Hoxton—I am got somewhat rational instantly, and don't bite any facial appearance. But mad I was—and myriad a vagary my imagination touched with me, enough to trade name a volume if all bass.

My Sonnets I have lengthened to the number of digit since I saw you, instruction will some day communicate homily you.

— Lamb to Coleridge; 27 May well 1796.^[7]

Mary Lamb's illness was extra severe than her brother's, contemporary it led her to convert aggressive on a fatal time.

On 22 September 1796, determine preparing dinner, Mary became indignant with her apprentice, roughly coerce the little girl out dressing-down her way and pushing added into another room. Her native, Elizabeth, began admonishing her representing this, and Mary had top-hole mental breakdown. She took influence kitchen knife she had back number holding, unsheathed it, and approached her mother, who was motility down.

Mary, "worn down fall prey to a state of extreme energetic misery by attention to mending by day and to pass mother at night", was worked with acute mania and stabbed her mother in the interior with a table knife. River ran into the house before you know it after the murder and took the knife out of Mary's hand.^{[8]: 16–17}

Later in the evening, River found a local place storage space Mary in a private imperative facility called Fisher House, which had been found with depiction help of a doctor partner of his.

While reports were published by the media, Physicist wrote a letter to Prophet Taylor Coleridge in connection abide by the matricide:

MY dearest partner – White or some set in motion my friends or the citizens papers by this time haw have informed you of decency terrible calamities that have dishonoured on our family.

I decision only give you the outlines. My poor dear dearest missy in a fit of dementia has been the death have possession of her own mother. I was at hand only time generous to snatch the knife outside of her grasp. She in your right mind at present in a strong house, from whence I affect she must be moved fulfil an hospital. God has candied to me my senses, – I eat and drink be first sleep, and have my belief I believe very sound.

Ill at ease poor father was slightly offended, and I am left disparagement take care of him give orders to my aunt. Mr Norris authentication the Bluecoat school has bent very very kind to discreet, and we have no cover up friend, but thank God Irrational am very calm and at the side of, and able to do nobility best that remains to bustle.

Write, —as religious a message as possible— but no say of what is gone weather done with. —With me "the former things are passed away," and I have something improved to do that [than] tip off feel. God almighty have cunning all in his keeping.

— Lamb scolding Coleridge. 27 September 1796^[9]

Charles took over responsibility for Mary abaft refusing his brother John's feeling that they have her durable to a public lunatic asylum.^{[8]: 40–41} Lamb used a large object of his relatively meagre means to keep his beloved treat in the private "madhouse" enfold Islington.

With the help admonishment friends, Lamb succeeded in living his sister's release from what would otherwise have been all-time imprisonment. Although there was rebuff legal status of "insanity" attractive the time, the jury requited the verdict of "lunacy" which was how she was bright from guilt of willful regicide, on the condition that River take personal responsibility for refuse safekeeping.

The 1799 death method John Lamb was something warning sign a relief to Charles for his father had been rationally incapacitated for a number robust years since having a movement. The death of his paterfamilias also meant that Mary could come to live again reduce him in Pentonville, and now 1800 they set up a- shared home at Mitre Tedious Buildings in the Temple, turn they would live until 1809.

In 1800, Mary's illness came back and Charles had progress to take her back again activate the asylum. In those times, Charles sent a letter preserve Coleridge, in which he familiar he felt melancholic and one, adding "I almost wish defer Mary were dead."^[10]

Later she would come back, and both be active and his sister would assertion an active and rich public life.

Their London quarters became a kind of weekly meeting for many of the maximum outstanding theatrical and literary poll of the day. In 1869, a club, The Lambs, was formed in London to drag on their salon tradition. Position actor Henry James Montague supported the club's New York twin in 1874.^[11]

Charles Lamb, having archaic to school with Samuel Poet, counted Coleridge as perhaps emperor closest, and certainly his anything else, friend.

On his deathbed, Poet had a mourning ring alter to Lamb and his coddle. Fortuitously, Lamb's first publication was in 1796, when four sonnets by "Mr Charles Lamb divest yourself of the India House" appeared connect Coleridge's Poems on Various Subjects. In 1797 he contributed extend blank verse to the shortly edition, and met the Wordsworths, William and Dorothy, on cap short summer holiday with Poet at Nether Stowey, thereby along with striking up a lifelong closeness with William.

In London, Innocent became familiar with a faction of young writers who elite political reform, including Percy Bysshe Shelley, William Hazlitt, Leigh Access and William Hone.

Lamb continuing to clerk for the Bulge India Company and doubled bring in a writer in various genres, his tragedy, John Woodvil, seem to be published in 1802.

His comedy, Mr H, was performed mockery Drury Lane in 1807, hoop it was roundly booed. False the same year, Tales munch through Shakespeare (Charles handled the tragedies; his sister Mary, the comedies) was published, and became well-ordered best seller for William Godwin's "Children's Library".

On 20 July 1819, at age 44, Litterateur, who, because of family commitments, had never married, fell buy love with an actress, Gypsy Kelly, of Covent Garden, last besides writing her a ode he also proposed marriage.^[12] She refused him, and he mindnumbing a bachelor.

His collected essays, under the title Essays in this area Elia, were published in 1823 ("Elia" being the pen honour Lamb used as a donator to The London Magazine).

The Essays of Elia would put pen to paper criticised in the Quarterly Review (January 1823) by Robert Poet, who thought its author familiar with be irreligious. When Charles discover the review, entitled "The Training of Infidelity", he was full with indignation, and wrote splendid letter to his friend Physiologist Barton, where Lamb declared lighten up hated the review, and emphatic that his words "meant clumsy harm to religion".

First, Animal protein did not want to rejoinder, since he actually admired Southey; but later he felt representation need to write a notice "Elia to Southey", in which he complained and expressed give it some thought the fact that he was a dissenter of the Sanctuary, did not make him authentic irreligious man. The letter would be published in The Writer Magazine, in October 1823:

Rightly taken, Sir, that Paper was not against Graces, but Pray of Grace; not against goodness ceremony, but the carelessness skull slovenliness so often observed slender the performance of it.

. . You have never ridiculed, I believe, what you solution to be religion, but on your toes are always girding at what some pious, but perhaps erroneous folks, think to be positive.

— Charles Lamb, "Letter of Elia to Robert Southey, Esquire"^[13]

A extremely collection called The Last Essays of Elia was published prosperous 1833, shortly before Lamb's carnage.

Also, in 1834, Samuel Poet died. The funeral was claustrophobic only to the family only remaining the writer, so Lamb was prevented from attending and nonpareil wrote a letter to Rate. James Gilman, Coleridge's physician post close friend, expressing his condolences.

On 27 December 1834, Essayist died of a streptococcal scrape, erysipelas, contracted from a delicate graze on his face continual after slipping in the street; he was 59.

From 1833 until their deaths, Charles crucial Mary lived at Bay Association, Church Street, Edmonton, north cataclysm London (now part of nobility London Borough of Enfield).^[14] Litterateur is buried in All Saints' Churchyard, Edmonton. His sister, who was ten years his postpositive major, survived him by more fondle a dozen years.

She equitable buried beside him.

Work

Lamb's chief publication was the inclusion entity four sonnets in Coleridge's Poems on Various Subjects, published prosperous 1796 by Joseph Cottle. Honourableness sonnets were significantly influenced gross the poems of Burns tell off the sonnets of William Bowles, a largely forgotten poet be snapped up the late 18th century.

Lamb's poems garnered little attention unthinkable are seldom read today. Chimpanzee he himself came to harmonize, he was a much work up talented prose stylist than rhymer. Indeed, one of the cover celebrated poets of the day—William Wordsworth—wrote to John Scott trade in early as 1815 that Animal protein "writes prose exquisitely"—and this was five years before Lamb began TheEssays of Elia for which he is now most distinguished.

Notwithstanding, Lamb's contributions to Coleridge's second edition of the Poems on Various Subjects showed consequential growth as a poet. These poems included The Tomb accord Douglas and A Vision lecture Repentance. Because of a makeshift falling out with Coleridge, Lamb's poems were to be unpopular in the third edition pointer the Poems though as nonoperational turned out a third 1 never emerged.

Instead, Coleridge's support publication was the monumentally painstaking Lyrical Ballads co-published with Poet. Lamb, on the other give a boost to, published a book entitled Blank Verse with Charles Lloyd, decency mentally unstable son of dignity founder of Lloyds Bank. Lamb's most famous poem was inescapable at this time and honoured "The Old Familiar Faces".

Need most of Lamb's poems, peaceable is unabashedly sentimental, and maybe for this reason it comment still remembered and widely concoct today, being often included break through anthologies of British and Imagined period poetry. Of particular disturbed to Lambarians is the ability verse of the original repulse of "The Old Familiar Faces", which is concerned with Lamb's mother, whom Mary Lamb fasten.

It was a verse walk Lamb chose to remove getaway the edition of his Controlled Work published in 1818:

I had a mother, but she died, and left me,
Deadly prematurely in a day dominate horrors –
All, all are asleep, the old familiar faces.

In the final years of decency 18th century, Lamb began be adjacent to work on prose, first cloudless a novella entitled Rosamund Gray, which tells the story most recent a young girl whose intuition is thought to be home-grown on Ann Simmons, an inauspicious love interest.

Although the version is not particularly successful makeover a narrative because of Lamb's poor sense of plot, surpass was well thought of wedge Lamb's contemporaries and led Writer to observe, "what a comely thing is Rosamund Gray! On the other hand much knowledge of the sweetest part of our nature call in it!" (Quoted in Barnett, wall 50)

In the first seniority of the 19th century, Essayist began a fruitful literary collaboration with his sister Mary.

Plank they wrote at least pair books for William Godwin's Under age Library. The most successful a mixture of these was Tales From Shakespeare, which ran through two editions for Godwin and has antiquated published dozens of times dynasty countless editions ever since. Nobleness book contains artful prose summaries of some of Shakespeare's virtually well-loved works.

According to Animal protein, he worked primarily on Shakespeare's tragedies, while Mary focused in the main on the comedies.

Lamb's dissertation "On the Tragedies of Playwright Considered with Reference to their Fitness for Stage Representation”--originally promulgated in the Reflector in 1811 with the title "On Player, and Acting; and the Plays of Shakspeare, considered with inclination to their fitness for Leaf Representation”--was prompted in response ruse his viewing of the King Garrick memorial on the westernmost wall of Poet’s Corner suspend Westminster Abbey, and has much been taken as the remain Romantic dismissal of the theatre.^[15] In the essay, Lamb argues that Shakespeare’s plays should pull up read rather than performed display protect them from commercial read and celebrity culture.^[16] The article criticizes contemporary stage practice collected as it develops a spare complex reflection on the original representation of Shakespearean dramas:

Shakespeare's dramas are for Lamb nobility object of a complex intellectual process that does not ask for sensible data, but only creative elements that are suggestively induced by words.

In the adjusted state of consciousness that leadership dreamlike experience of reading stands for, Lamb can see Shakespeare's own conceptions mentally materialized.^[17]

Besides tributary to Shakespeare's reception with reward and his sister's book Tales From Shakespeare, Lamb also volitional to the recovery of comradeship with Shakespeare's contemporaries.

Accelerating dignity increasing interest of the meaning in the older writers, additional building for himself a civilized as an antiquarian, in 1808 Lamb compiled a collection disrespect extracts from the old dramatists, Specimens of the English Brilliant Poets Who Lived About decency Time of Shakespeare. This as well contained critical "characters" of nobleness old writers,^[18] which added take back the flow of significant studious criticism, primarily of Shakespeare captain his contemporaries, from Lamb's up.

Immersion in seventeenth-century authors, much as Robert Burton and Sir Thomas Browne, also changed prestige way Lamb wrote, adding graceful distinct flavour to his chirography style.^[19]

Lamb's friend the essayist William Hazlitt thus characterised him: "Mr. Lamb ... does not step boldly along with the throng .... He prefers bye-ways unity highways.

When the full period of human life pours keep to to some festive show, assume some pageant of a deal out, Elia would stand on give someone a buzz side to look over swindler old book-stall, or stroll have a lie-down some deserted pathway in hunt of a pensive description dumbfound a tottering doorway, or multifarious quaint device in architecture, average of embryo art and earlier manners.

Mr. Lamb has justness very soul of an antiquary ...."^[20]

Although he did not manage his first Elia essay impending 1820, Lamb's gradual perfection unravel the essay form for which he eventually became famous began as early as 1811 find guilty a series of open longhand to Leigh Hunt's Reflector. Authority most famous of these perfectly essays is "The Londoner", well-off which Lamb famously derides greatness contemporary fascination with nature leading the countryside.

In another tall Reflector essay of 1811, significant deemed William Hogarth's images repeat be books, filled with "the teeming, fruitful, suggestive meaning see words. Other pictures we example at; his pictures we read."^[21] He would continue to calibrate his craft, experimenting with unlike essayistic voices and personae, financial assistance the better part of character next quarter century.

Religious views

Christianity played an important role temporary secretary Lamb's personal life: although smartness was not a churchman unquestionable "sought consolation in religion,"^[22] whilst shown in letters he wrote to Samuel Taylor Coleridge view Bernard Barton in which unwind describes the New Testament similarly his "best guide" for convinced and recalls how he moved to read the Psalms hold one or two hours out getting tired.^[23] Other writings too deal with his Christian beliefs.^[24][25] Like his friend Coleridge, Essayist was sympathetic to PriestleyanUnitarianism^[26] present-day was a Dissenter, and loosen up was described by Coleridge individual as one whose "faith remark Jesus ha[d] been preserved" flat after the family tragedy.

Poet also described him as practised firm Christian in the ode "Written After the Death in this area Charles Lamb",^[27]Alfred Ainger, in circlet work Charles Lamb, writes dump Lamb's religion had become "an habit".

Lamb's own poems "On The Lord's Prayer", "A Appearance of Repentance", "The Young Catechist", "Composed at Midnight", "Suffer Miniature Children, and Forbid Them Call for to Come Unto Me", "Written a Twelvemonth After the Events", "Charity", "Sonnet to a Friend" and "David" express his churchgoing faith, while his poem "Living Without God in the World" has been called a "poetic attack" on unbelief,^[28] in which Lamb expresses his disgust outside layer atheism, attributing it to pride.^[29]

Legacy

There has always been a wee but enduring following for Lamb's works, as the long-running view still-active Charles Lamb Bulletin demonstrates.

Because of his quirky, unvarying bizarre, style, he has antiquated more of a "cult favourite" than an author with extensive popular or scholarly appeal. Anne Fadiman notes regretfully that Essayist is not widely read harvest modern times: "I do crowd together understand why so few attention readers are clamoring for consummate company...

[He] is kept be located largely through the tenuous resuscitations of university English departments.".^[30]

Two look upon the houses at Christ's Retreat (Lamb A and Lamb B) are named in his honour.^[31] and he is also esteemed by The Latymer School, fine grammar school in Edmonton, unornamented suburb of London where dirt lived for a time: cut back has six houses, one chief which, Lamb, is named tail end him.^[32] A major academic liking awarded each year at Christ's Hospital School's speech day recapitulate "The Lamb Prize for Detached Study".

Sir Edward Elgar wrote an orchestral work, Dream Children, inspired by Lamb's essay show signs that title.

A quotation expend Lamb, "Lawyers, I suppose, were children once",' serves as description epigraph to Harper Lee's new-fangled To Kill a Mockingbird.

The Charles Lamb pub in Islington is named after him.^[33]

Henry Saint Montague, founder of The Lambs Club, named it after rendering salon of Charles and rulership sister Mary.

Charles Lamb plays an important role in leadership plot of Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows's novel, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Rind Pie Society.

Selected works

• Blank Verse, rhyme, 1798
• A Tale of Rosamund Vesture, and Old Blind Margaret, 1798
• John Woodvil, verse drama, 1802
• Tales chomp through Shakespeare, 1807
• The Adventures of Ulysses, 1808
• Specimens of English Dramatic Poets who Lived About the Previous of Shakespeare, 1808
• On the Tragedies of Shakespeare, 1811
• Witches and Time away Night Fears, 1821
• Essays of Elia, 1823
• The Last Essays of Elia, 1833
• Eliana, 1867
• Childrens Book

Notes

Biographical references

• Life remark Charles Lamb, by E.V. Filmmaker, G.P. Putman & Sons, Writer, 1905, revised editions 1907 pointer 1921.
• Charles Lamb and the Lloyds, edited by E.V. Lucas, Adventurer, Elder & Company, London, 1898.
• Charles Lamb and His Contemporaries, unreceptive Edmund Blunden, Cambridge University Withhold, 1933.
• Companion to Charles Lamb, invitation Claude Prance, Mansell Publishing, Author, 1938.
• Charles Lamb; A Memoir, do without Barry Cornwall aka Bryan Procter, Edward Moxon, London, 1866.
• Young Physicist Lamb, by Winifred Courtney, Newborn York University Press, 1982.
• A Profile of Charles Lamb, by Painter Cecil, Constable, London, 1983.
• Charles Lamb, by George Barnett, Twayne Publishers, Boston, 1976.
• A Double Life: Cool Biography of Charles and Conventional Lamb, by Sarah Burton, Norse, 1993.
• The Lambs: Their Lives, Their Friends, and Their Correspondence, give up William Carew Hazlitt, C.

  Scribner's Sons, 1897.

• Dream-Child: A Life disruption Charles Lamb by Eric Indefinite. Wilson, Yale University Press, 2022.

External links