[There must be something in]
image 1
image 2
image 3
image 4
cropped image 1
☞There must be something in the higher literary circles of England destructive to the existence of the finer feelings of the human heart. Dickens1, after a long married life, separates in his late days from the companion of his struggles and the sharer of his toils, the wife of his bosom. Bulwer Lytton2 treats his lady with contumely and neglect, and finally endeavors to place her in a lunatic asylum; and now we find W. Savage Landor3 excelling even Dean Swift4 in his cruel and dastardly treatment of a lady. However, one or two swallows do not make a summer, and against such instances as these we may set the devoted attachment of Disraeli5 to his aged wife, and the domestic felicity which Sir Walter Scott6 undoubtedly enjoyed. We suspect that the reason why so many literary men make bad husbands, and do not properly appreciate the softer sex, arises from the infection of “Bohemianism” by which most authors become tainted in their introduction into the literary guild; and which creates a restless craving for mental excitement, unsuiting them to breathe the clear and tranquil atmosphere of home enjoyment.
Notes:
1. Charles Dickens (1812–1870) was a famous English novelist, whose impact on anglophone culture during the Victorian age can hardly be overestimated. Whitman was an avid Dickens reader and his own fiction shows a debt to "Boz" that Whitman himself readily acknowledged in his early journalism. For more information, see Vickie L. Taft, "Dickens, Charles (1812–1870)," Walt Whitman: An Encyclopedia, ed. J.R. LeMaster and Donald D. Kummings (New York: Garland Publishing, 1998). [back]
2. Edward Bulwer-Lytton (1803–1873), was an English writer and politician. His novel The Caxtons: A Family Picture (1849) was a breakout hit at the time. Whitman once accused Lytton of plagiarizing a book titled Zicci, stating it was the exact same as the novel Zanoni. Both novels, however, were written by Lytton. Whitman described the controversy in a number of Aurora editorials. See "The Great Bamboozle!—A Plot Discovered!" (March 28, 1842), and "More Humbug" (April 4, 1842). [back]
3. Walter Savage Landor (1775–1864) was a controversial British author, well-known for his caustic engagement with his rivals, which made him the target of libel suits. [back]
4. Jonathan Swift (1667–1745) was a writer and dean of the St. Patrick Cathedral. He wrote the poem "A Libel for Delany" in 1729. [back]
5. Benjamin Disraeli (1804–1881) was a British author and conservative politician. He served at the House of Commons and as the only Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Jewish birth in history. [back]
6. Walter Scott (1771–1832) was a Scottish novelist whose writings had a profound impact on Whitman. See also Vickie L. Taft, "Scott, Sir Walter (1771–1832)," Walt Whitman: An Encyclopedia, ed. J.R. LeMaster and Donald D. Kummings (New York: Garland Publishing, 1998). [back]