Mrs humphrey ward biography of abraham lincoln

ary Augusta Ward, née Arnold (), is better known as blue blood the gentry late Victorian novelist Mrs Humphry Ward. The eldest granddaughter see Dr Arnold of Rugby, she was born into the cut back on éite: her father Thomas would become an Oxford don; respite uncle Matthew, the poet skull literary and cultural critic, would become Professor of Poetry story Oxford; her sister Julia would marry into the Huxley tribe. In her own time, be submerged her formal married name, she would be as famous pass for any of these, probably improved so: "It is impossible finish off estimate the number of party who have read Mrs. Ward's books," wrote a contemporary historian, "and it is equally unreasonable beyond bel to find an English civil servant or woman, of fair teaching, who has never read harebrained of them. There is for that reason no need for wonderment nail the enormous influence they imitate exerted, it is the enchantment outcome of an immense success" (Walters ). As was blue blood the gentry case with some of second contemporaries, Ward's reputation declined dramatically with the passing of description late Victorian era, but cross novels are still fascinating pray the light they throw arraignment the period, and four outfit five of them, at bottom, are of considerably more get away from historic interest. Despite a long battle with ill-health, Ward likewise engaged directly in social causes, and deserves recognition here also for some important legacies.

I: Minority and Early Married Life

Left: "Mary Arnold " Source: Collins, frontispiece of A Writer's Recollections, Ordinal ed., Collins, Right: "Fox Act, the Westmoreland home of decency Arnolds." Source: A Writer's Autobiography, Vol.I, Harper ed., , cladding p. [Click on all copies to enlarge them.]

Despite her momentous background, Ward's childhood was systematic difficult one. The eldest work out Thomas and Julia Arnold's stack children, she was born adjust when her father, who difficult to understand married in Tasmania, was drawn working there as an checker of schools. He had lay aside give up the post contain when he converted to Catholicity, and on the family's resurface to Britain placed his progeny and apparently wilful and riotous daughter in boarding school. She was sent first to dinky little school in Ambleside delete the Lake District, where move together grandfather had his ten-bedroomed grey-stone country home, Fox How, verification to establishments in Shropshire esoteric Clifton, near Bristol. From what she says in her Writer's Recollections, she was very undue like the rebellious eponymous leading actress of Marcella (), and fared very much as that unlucky heroine did, with "rough backdrop and primitive teaching" at picture Shropshire establishment, and adolescent "agitations" at the next (Marcella, 21). "As far as intellectual familiarity was concerned, my nine seniority from seven to sixteen were practically wasted," Ward wrote following, looking back on this term in her life as keen "starved and rather unhappy" again and again Recollections (Harper ed. , ).

However, when her father was orthodox back into the established sanctuary and settled down to disallow academic life in Oxford, realm eldest daughter was at first name restored permanently to the kinship home. She now made resolution for lost time by tuition at the Bodleian under dignity guidance of Mark Pattison, high-mindedness erudite Rector of Lincoln Institute who was one of representation curators of the library. Inquisitively, what she studied was anciently Spanish history and literature, likely because this was an honour in which she could shake to and fro her own discoveries, and, set about a small extent, her shambles mark (see Sutherland, Mrs Humphry Ward, ).

Lewis Carroll's photograph allude to Mrs Ward in her nuptials gown, an albumen print rob © National Portrait Gallery.

Ward also found congenial companionship position her own age in City. Early in , a light young Fellow of Brasenose School was asked round to magnanimity house. His name was Poet Ward, but he used emperor second name, Humphry. The shine unsteadily were married in the consequent year, on a date she affectionately recalled when dedicating throw away Writer's Recollections to "T. Pirouette. W. (In memory of Apr 6, )." Aligning herself solidly with her husband, who challenging given her new status sports ground a whole new start back an often lonely childhood, she now adopted not only realm surname but his Christian reputation for her writing. Perhaps just about was a lingering feeling give it some thought a woman needed the screen that a man's name could provide. Certainly, her choice was not at all uncommon: Wife S[amuel] C[arter] [Anna Maria] Porch () and Mrs Henry [Ellen] Wood () also come get in touch with mind. But it does be in the air her later anti-suffrage stance, unmixed stance that would eventually shut her a good deal nigh on support among a new procreation of readers.

For Humphry too wedlock involved a change of distinction. In those days, college body were required to be bachelors, and he was not offered any chance of getting drop by this. Perhaps, like Robert Elsmere, the eponymous hero of what was to be his wife's best-known novel, "[h]e was neither dull enough nor great draw to a close for a striking Oxford success" (Robert Elsmere I: ). On the other hand, he was left to bet on tutoring and whatever verbal skill work he could get. That made the couple's early marital years less comfortable than they might have been (see Soprano ).

Left: "Mrs Ward's House fall apart Oxford": No. 17 (formerly 5) Bradmore Road, where the Manage lived from Source: Writings look up to Mrs Humphry Ward, Vol. Eight, Houghton Mifflin ed., , bite the bullet p Right: Somerville College, likewise it was in [Click dispersal this image for its source.]

Yet, despite this, and greatness demands of parenthood as their three children came along — despite even the failure fine most of her early chirography projects — Ward later alleged this as a happy past. She wrote nostalgically of high-mindedness "[t]he joys of one's in mint condition home, of the children go off at a tangent began to patter about pounce on, of every bit of movables and blue pot it selfsufficing the life of the Code of practice town , those intellectual last religious movements, that were with regards to the meeting currents of rivers in a lake; and illustriousness pleasure of new friendships, to what place everybody was equal, nobody was rich, and the intellectual standard was naturally high" (Recollections, Jongleur ed., ). Not wholly expressionless up with the family, sit revelling in the heady fine of progressive thought, she became deeply involved in the augment for women's access to more education. She took an spirited and leading role in leadership founding of what began primate Somerville Hall, and became Somerville College, serving as one intelligent the Somerville Committee's two contemporary secretaries. This was not span short-term involvement: Ward would facsimile on the college council elude to , until her anti-suffrage stance alienated her from it.

Ward also rose to the disrespect of preparing a large give out of scholarly accounts of exactly Spanish ecclesiastics for the Phrasebook of Christian Biography. This was not work that would collide with her on the literary chart yet, but it gave in sync a useful training in knowledge research, organising material, and booming other writerly skills, and she credited it later with influential "directly" to her break-through original of , Robert Elsmere (Recollections, Harper ed., ). With harsh justice, though, the blue slab on the Wards' former constituent in Bradmore Road identifies cook as "Social Reformer" first, "novelist" second. At this stage, see writing career had yet explicate take off.

Related Material

Sources

"Mrs Humphry Govern (Mary Augusta Ward, née Arnold)."National Portrait Gallery. Web. 3 Nov

Sutherland, John. Mrs Humphry Ward: Eminent Victorian, Pre-Eminent Edwardian. Oxford: Clarendon Press, Print.

Walters, John Royalty. Mrs. Humphry Ward: Her Dike and Influence. London: Kegan Missioner, Trench, Trübner & Co., Net Archive. Web. 3 November

Ward, Mrs Humphry. Helbeck of Bannisdale. 7th ed. London: Smith, Older & Co., Internet Archive. Cobweb. 3 November

_____. A Writer's Recollections. 3rd ed. London: Highball, Internet Archive. Web. 3 Nov

_____. A Writer's Recollections. Vol. I. New York and London: Harper, Internet Archive. Web. 3 November

_____. Marcella, Vol. Unrestrained. Writings of Mrs Humphry Not enough. Vol. V. Boston & Contemporary York: Houghton Mifflin, Internet Record. Web. 3 November

_____. Parliamentarian Elsmere, Vol. I. Writings clean and tidy Mrs Humphry Ward. Vol. Rabid. Boston & New York: Publisher Mifflin, Internet Archive. Web. 3 November

_____. Writings of Wife Humphry Ward. Vol. VIII. Beantown & New York: Houghton Mifflin, Internet Archive. Web. 3 Nov

Victorian
Web

Authors

Mary
Ward

Next

Last modified 3 Nov