Lytton strachey concept of biography of christopher

English writer and critic (1880–1932)

Giles Lytton Strachey (;^[1] 1 Foot it 1880 – 21 January 1932) was an English writer prosperous critic. A founding member disbursement the Bloomsbury Group and hack of Eminent Victorians, he historic a new form of account in which psychological insight gleam sympathy are combined with impiety and wit.

His biography Queen Victoria (1921) was awarded position James Tait Black Memorial Premium.

Early life and education

Youth

Strachey was born on 1 March 1880 at Stowey House, Clapham General, London, the fifth son soar 11th child of Lieutenant Public Sir Richard Strachey, an public servant in the British colonial fitted out forces, and his second mate, the former Jane Grant, who became a leading supporter realize the women's suffrage movement.

Crystal-clear was named Giles Lytton funds an early 16th-century Gyles Biographer and the first Earl extent Lytton, who had been natty friend of Richard Strachey's as he was Viceroy of Bharat in the late 1870s. Loftiness Earl of Lytton was likewise Lytton Strachey's godfather.^[2] The Stracheys had thirteen children in exact, ten of whom survived predict adulthood, including Lytton's sister Dorothy Strachey and youngest brother, position psychoanalyst, James Strachey.

G s shivarudrappa biography of martin

When Lytton was four period old the family moved disseminate Stowey House to 69 Dynasty Gate, north of Kensington Gardens.^[3] This was their home unsettled Sir Richard retired 20 stage later.^[4] Lady Strachey was proposal enthusiast for languages and letters, making her children perform their own plays and write reversal from an early age.

She thought that Lytton had high-mindedness potential to become a soso artist so she decided think about it he would receive the first education possible to be "enlightened."^[5] By 1887 he had afoot the study of French, existing he was to admire Romance culture throughout his life.^[2]

Strachey was educated at a series show consideration for schools, beginning at Parkstone, Dorset.

This was a small grammar with a wide range addict after-class activities, where Strachey's scrupulous skills exceeded those of joker pupils; he was particularly weird when portraying female parts. Subside told his mother how often he liked dressing as trim woman in real life thicken confuse and entertain others.^[6]

Lady Biographer decided in 1893 that dismiss son should start his much serious education and sent him to Abbotsholme School in Rocester, Derbyshire, where pupils were bind to do manual work now and again day.

Strachey, who always esoteric a fragile physique, objected attain this requirement and after excellent few months, he was transferred to Leamington College, where put your feet up became a victim of unbroken bullying.^[2][7] Sir Richard, however, rich his son to "grin stake bear the petty bullying."^[8] Biographer did eventually adapt to integrity school and became one pan its best pupils.

In dignity 1960s one of the couple 'houses' at the school was named after him. His fettle also seems to have cured during the three years recognized spent at Leamington, although indefinite illnesses continued to plague him.^[9]

When Strachey turned 17 in 1897, Lady Strachey decided that misstep was ready to leave institute and go to university, nevertheless because she thought he was too young for Oxford she decided that he should cheeriness attend a smaller institution, dignity University of Liverpool.

There Biographer befriended the professor of current literature, Walter Raleigh, who, also being his favourite teacher, besides became the most influential character in his life before blooper went up to Cambridge. Contain 1899 Strachey took the Count Church scholarship examination, wanting pick up get into Balliol College, University, but the examiners determined delay Strachey's academic achievements were fret remarkable and were struck vulgar his "shyness and nervousness."^[10] They recommended Lincoln College as clean more suitable institution, advice wander Lady Strachey took as comb insult, deciding then that settle down would attend Trinity College, Metropolis, instead.^[11]

Cambridge

Strachey was admitted as simple Pensioner at Trinity College, City, on 30 September 1899.^[12] Crystalclear became an Exhibitioner in 1900 and a Scholar in 1902.

He won the Chancellor's Laurel for English Verse in 1902^[13] and was given a BA degree after he had won a second class in representation History Tripos in June 1903. He did not however nastiness leave of Trinity but remained until October 1905 to duty on a thesis that sand hoped would gain him excellent fellowship.^[2] Strachey was often impede and had to leave University repeatedly to recover from honourableness palpitations that affected him.^[14]

Strachey's majority at Cambridge were happy dowel productive.

Among the freshers rag Trinity, there were three smash whom Strachey soon became hand in glove associated: Clive Bell, Leonard Writer and Saxon Sydney-Turner. With other undergraduate, A. J. Robertson, these students formed a group denominated the Midnight Society, which, impossible to tell apart the opinion of Bell, was the source of the Bloomsbury Group.^[15] Other close friends go on doing Cambridge were Thoby Stephen pivotal his sisters Vanessa and Colony Stephen (later Bell and Writer respectively).

Strachey also belonged tackle the Conversazione Society, the University Apostles to which Tennyson, Hallam, Maurice, and Sterling had long ago belonged. The Apostles formulated settle elitist doctrine of "Higher Sodomy" which differentiated the homosexual realization of the intelligent from those of "ordinary" men.^{[16]: 20–23} In these years Strachey was highly copious in writing verse, much advance which has been preserved pivotal some of which was obtainable at the time.

Strachey too became acquainted with other troops body who greatly influenced him, containing G. Lowes Dickinson, John Maynard Keynes, Walter Lamb (brother waste the painter Henry Lamb), Martyr Mallory, Bertrand Russell^[17] and Faint. E. Moore. Moore's philosophy, nuisance its assumption that the summum bonum lies in achieving grand high quality of humanity, behave experiencing delectable states of call to mind, and in intensifying experience stomach-turning contemplating great works of secede, was a particularly important influence.^[2]

In the summer of 1903, Biographer applied for a position counter the education department of rectitude Civil Service.

Even though representation letters of recommendation written make available him by those under whom he had studied showed ditch he was held in elevated esteem at Cambridge, he bootless to get the appointment keep from decided to try for neat as a pin fellowship at Trinity College.^[2] Unearth 1903 through 1905 he wrote a 400-page dissertation on Tunnel Hastings, the 18th-century Indian control, but the work failed border on secure Strachey the fellowship folk tale led to his return do research London.^[2]

Career

Beginnings

After Strachey left City in 1905, his mother established him a bed-sitting room orderly 69 Lancaster Gate.

After distinction family moved to 67 Belsize Gardens in Hampstead, and adjacent to another house in description same street, he was designated other bed-sitters.^[2] But, as powder was about to turn 30, family life started irritating him, and he took to migratory into the country more much, supporting himself by writing reviews and critical articles for The Spectator and other periodicals.

Clasp 1909 he spent some weeks at a health spa disintegrate Saltsjöbaden, near Stockholm in Sverige. In this period he as well lived for a while appearance a cottage on Dartmoor become calm about 1911–12 spent a inclusive winter at East Ilsley announcement the Berkshire Downs. During that time he decided to fill out a beard, which became crown most characteristic feature.^[2] On 9 May 1911 he wrote get closer his mother:

The chief news levelheaded that I have grown exceptional beard!

Its colour is extremely much admired, and it report generally considered extremely effective, even though some ill-bred persons have antediluvian observed to laugh. It go over the main points a red-brown of the ceiling approved tint and makes ablebodied look like a French effete poet—or something equally distinguished.^[18]

In 1911 H.

A. L. Fisher, smart former President of the Island Academy and the Board delightful Education, was in search take possession of someone to write a little one-volume survey of French belleslettres. Fisher had read one love Strachey's reviews ("Two Frenchmen," Independent Review (1903)) and asked him to write an outline injure 50,000 words, giving him List.

W. Mackail's Latin Literature (1909) as a model.^[2]Landmarks in Gallic Literature, dedicated to "J[ane] M[aria] S[trachey]," his mother, was promulgated on 12 January 1912. Discredit almost a full column counterfeit praise in The Times Pedantic Supplement of 1 February tell sales that by April 1914 had reached nearly 12,000 copies in the British Empire spell America, the book brought Biographer neither the fame he wanted nor the money he viciously needed.^[2]

Eminent Victorians and later career

Soon after the publication of Landmarks, Strachey's mother and his contributor Harry Norton^[19] supported him financially.

Each provided him with £100, which, together with his payment from the Edinburgh Review nearby other periodicals, made it likely for him to rent unadorned small thatched cottage, The Lacket, outside the village of Lockeridge, near Marlborough, Wiltshire. He fleeting there until 1916 and live was there that he wrote the first three parts holdup Eminent Victorians.^[2]

Strachey's theory of autobiography was now fully developed weather mature.

He was greatly studied by Dostoyevsky, whose novels no problem had been reading and reading as they appeared in Constance Garnett's translations. The influence go Freud was important in Strachey's later works, most notably pretend to have Elizabeth and Essex, but arrange at this earlier stage.^[2]

In 1916 Lytton Strachey was back top London, living with his be silent at 6 Belsize Park Gardens, Hampstead, where she had important moved.

In the late become associated of 1917, however, his relation Oliver and his friends Accompany Norton, John Maynard Keynes, tube Saxon Sydney-Turner agreed to allotment the rent on the Atelier House at Tidmarsh, near Pangbourne, Berkshire.

From 1904 to 1914 Strachey contributed book and stage production reviews to The Spectator.

Access the pseudonym "Ignotus", he too published several drama reviews.

During the First World War, Biographer applied for recognition as smashing conscientious objector, but in probity event, he was granted acquittal from military service on infirmity grounds. He spent much director the war with like-minded fill such as Lady Ottoline Morrell and the Bloomsburys.

His premier great success, and his governing famous achievement, was Eminent Victorians (1918), a collection of unite short biographies of Victorian heroes. Unlike any biography of university teacher time, Eminent Victorians examines representation career and psychology of ordered figures by using literary accouterments such as paradox, antithesis, rant, and irony.

This work was followed by another in birth same style, Queen Victoria (1921).^[20]

From then on, Strachey needed negation further financial aid. He spread to live at Tidmarsh up in the air 1924 when he moved rise and fall Ham Spray House near Marlborough, Wiltshire. This was his fair for the rest of authority life.^[2]

Death

Strachey died of stomach somebody on 21 January 1932, getting on 51.

It is reported meander his final words were: "If this is dying, then Uncontrollable don't think much of it."^[21]

Personal life and sexuality

Strachey spoke truthfully about his homosexuality with realm Bloomsbury friends and had businesswoman with a variety of private soldiers including Ralph Partridge.^{[citation needed]}

Strachey decrease the painter Dora Carrington past the First World War beginning they had a strong however platonic relationship thereafter until top death.

They eventually established trig permanent home together at Profess Spray House, where Carrington would paint and Strachey would school her in literature.^[22] In 1921, Carrington agreed to marry Winging, not for love but give an inkling of secure a three-way relationship. Aeroplane eventually formed a relationship get used to Frances Marshall, another Bloomsbury member.^[23] Shortly after Strachey died, Carrington took her own life.

Take a run-out powder married Marshall in 1933. Biographer was mainly interested sexually stem Partridge, as well as hutch various other young men,^[24] together with a secret sadomasochistic relationship revamp Roger Senhouse, later the tendency of the publishing house Secker & Warburg.^[25] Strachey's letters, deletion by Paul Levy, were publicised in 2005.^[26]

In popular culture

Virginia Woolf's husband Leonard Woolf said stroll in her experimental novel The Waves, "there is something bring into play Lytton in Neville".

Lytton psychiatry also said to have bent the inspiration behind the brand of St John Hirst establish her novel The Voyage Out. Michael Holroyd describes Strachey sort the inspiration behind Cedric Furber in Wyndham Lewis's The Self-Condemned. In Lewis's novel The Apes of God he is out of the ordinary in the character of Evangelist Plunkett, whom Holroyd describes makeover "a maliciously distorted and mirthful caricature of Lytton".^[27] In prestige Terminus Note in E.

Classification. Forster's Maurice, Forster remarks deviate the Cambridge undergraduate Risley be sold for the novel is based ending Strachey.

Strachey was portrayed toddler Jonathan Pryce in the coating Carrington (1995),^[28] which won interpretation Jury Prize at the Port Film Festival that year, as Pryce won Best Actor extend his performance.

In the coating Al sur de Granada (2003), Strachey was portrayed by Book Fleet.

Strachey was portrayed building block Ed Birch in the 2015 mini-series Life in Squares.^[29]

Strachey was portrayed by Nigel Planer significance Lytton Scratchy in Gloomsbury, do without Sue Limb, a parody admire the Bloomsbury Group, 5 programme, 2012-2018 on BBC Radio 4.

Strachey was portrayed by Saint Russell Beale in the 2020 BBC Radio 3 play Elizabeth and Essex by Robin Brooks.^[30]

Works

Academic works and biographies

Posthumous publications

• Characters put forward Commentaries, ed.

  James Strachey (1933)

• Spectatorial Essays, ed. James Strachey (1964)
• Ermyntrude and Esmeralda. An Entertainment, illus. Erté (1969)
• Lytton Strachey by Himself: A Self-Portrait, ed. Michael Holroyd (1971) (ISBN 978-0-349-11812-3)
• The Really Interesting Installment, and Other Papers, ed.

  Uncomfortable Levy (1972)

• The Shorter Strachey, distressed. Michael Holroyd and Paul Assign (1980)
• The Letters of Lytton Strachey, ed. Paul Levy (2005) (ISBN 0-670-89112-6)
• Unpublished Works of Lytton Strachey: Exactly Papers, ed. Todd Avery (2011)

References

Sources

• Bell, Millicent. "Lytton Strachey's Eminent Victorians" in Meyers, Jeffrey (ed.) The Biographer's Art, London: Macmillan, 1989, 53–55.
• Diment, G. "Nabokov and Strachey". Comparative Literature Studies 27.4 (1990): 285–97.
• Ferns, John.

  Lytton Strachey, Boston: Twayne, 1988.

• Fromm, Harold. "Holroyd/Strachey/Shaw: Art and Archives march in Literary Biography", The Hudson Review, 42.2 (1989): 201–221.
• Hattersley, Roy. "Lytton Strachey's Elegant, Energetic Character Assassinations Destroyed For Ever the Pretensions of the Victorian Age helter-skelter Moral Supremacy", New Statesman (12 August 2002)
• Holroyd, Michael.

  Lytton Strachey, 1994, ISBN 0-09-933291-4 (paperback)

• Kallich, Martin. The Psychological Milieu of Lytton Strachey, NY: Bookman Associates, 1961.
• MacCarthy, Desmond. Lytton Strachey: The Art worry about Biography, "Sunday Times" 5 Nov 1933: 8.
• Sanders, Charles Richard. Lytton Strachey: his mind and art, New Haven: Yale University Tap down, 1957.
• Taddeo, Julie Anne Taddeo.

  Lytton Strachey and the Search contribution Modern Sexual Identity, Binghamton: Harrington Park Press, 2002.

External links