An in-depth look into the life of Romantic essayist Charles Lamb and the legacy of his work
A pioneer of urban Romanticism, essayist Charles Lamb (1775adash;1834) found inspiration in London,squo;s markets, theaters, prostitutes, and bookshops. He prized the cityasquo;s literary scene, too, where he was a star wit. He counted among his admirers Mary Shelley, William Wordsworth, and Samuel Taylor Coleridge. His friends valued in his conversation what distinguished his writing style: a highly original blend of irony, whimsy, and melancholy.
Eric G. Wilson captures Lambnsquo;s strange charm in this meticulously researched and engagingly written biography. He demonstrates how Lambrsquo;s humor helped him cope with a life-defining tragedy: in a fit of madness, his sister Mary murdered their mother. Arranging to care for her himself, Lamb saved her from the gallows. Delightful when sane, Mary became Charlesdsquo;s muse, and she collaborated with him on children squo;s books. In exploring Mary squo;s presence in Charlesosquo;s darkly comical essays, Wilson also shows how Lamb reverberates in todayasquo;s experimental literature.
