Glenarvon was written by Lady Caroline Lamb (1785-1828) and is the fictionalized account of her affair with Lord Byron (1788-1824), the famous poet. Published anonymously in 1816, the authorship was an open secret, making this the world's first celebrity "kiss-and-tell." As a result of the scandalous content, as well as the scathing caricatures of prominent social figures, Lady Caroline Lamb was ostracized from society. For the same reasons, the book became a bestseller.
For many years subsequently, Glenarvon's literary merits went unrecognized, again probably due to its scandalous nature, and it was not until the 20th Century that the book's legacy was re-assessed. Glenarvon can claim a number of literary "firsts". It was the first appearance of a Byronic hero outside of Lord Byron's work. In terms of both content and style, it was an early forerunner of much later realist works including Flaubert's Madame Bovary (1857) and Tolstoy's Anna Karenina (1877). The poetry that Caroline Lamb interspersed in her novel is also notable for being a faithful imitation of Byron's own.
Though today known mostly to literary scholars, Glenarvon's impact has been significant, and it is referenced in works ranging from the gothic short story "The Vampyre" (1819) by John William Polidori to the romance novel "Bath Tangle" (1955) by Georgette Heyer. It is a must-read for anybody seriously interested in the literature of the Regency period.
This edition was NOT merely scanned from an ink-and-paper book, like many Kindle e-books are. All e-books offered by Di Lernia Publishers are hand-edited and checked for spelling and punctuation errors.
For many years subsequently, Glenarvon's literary merits went unrecognized, again probably due to its scandalous nature, and it was not until the 20th Century that the book's legacy was re-assessed. Glenarvon can claim a number of literary "firsts". It was the first appearance of a Byronic hero outside of Lord Byron's work. In terms of both content and style, it was an early forerunner of much later realist works including Flaubert's Madame Bovary (1857) and Tolstoy's Anna Karenina (1877). The poetry that Caroline Lamb interspersed in her novel is also notable for being a faithful imitation of Byron's own.
Though today known mostly to literary scholars, Glenarvon's impact has been significant, and it is referenced in works ranging from the gothic short story "The Vampyre" (1819) by John William Polidori to the romance novel "Bath Tangle" (1955) by Georgette Heyer. It is a must-read for anybody seriously interested in the literature of the Regency period.
This edition was NOT merely scanned from an ink-and-paper book, like many Kindle e-books are. All e-books offered by Di Lernia Publishers are hand-edited and checked for spelling and punctuation errors.
