Turning tragedy into timeless romance.
Arabella Hunt (1662-1705) was celebrated for her beauty and her musical talents during her lifetime. Her contemporaries remarked that her soprano voice had the “reed of a bullfinch” and inspired various composers, including Henry Purcell and Dr John Blow.
Jane Austen left more than six novels. She left two unfinished works, juvenilia, and letters to family and friends. It’s from these sources that we get little Austenian nuggets of wisdom, wit, romance, and hope for future generations. Here’s a few for your reading pleasure.
Anne Lister was an English landowner and prolific diarist. Her diaries led to revelations that dubbed her the "first modern lesbian." She led numerous romantic relationships with women and married Ann Walker in what is regarded as Britain's first known lesbian wedding.
Coined by Richard Lassels (1603-1668), a Catholic priest and travel writer, the term “Grand Tour” was applied to sons from wealthy English families that embarked on travels abroad to Europe. The height of the Grand Tour’s popularity was in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Lord Byron is considered one of the greatest English poets. He established his popularity and legacy with long narrative works like Don Juan and Childe Harold's Pilgrimage. Several of his shorter more melodic poems also remain loved, such as “She Walks in Beauty,” “My Soul is Dark,” and “The Eve of Waterloo.” Considering his genius and wildly interesting life, it’s no wonder he’s left behind so many witticisms and profound quotes. Here is a selected forty for your pleasure. Read on for 40 quotes from Lord Byron.
Before 1839, women had no rights to their children if their marriage failed and led to separation or divorce, nor could a wife own property or keep independent wages. Then came Caroline Norton, poet, author, and early women's rights advocate.
Many of our treasured traditions, Christmas cards, Christmas trees, hanging stockings, and caroling, didn’t appear until the 1840s. This makes much of Christmas a Victorian invention., and like anything from the Victorian era, many of these beloved traditions have weird, wacky, and even sinister roots. Here's 7 weird Victorian Christmas traditions.
Elizabeth Barrett Browning and Robert Browning were the literary power couple of the Victorian era, and their love story was just as entertaining as their poetry.
Drury Lane Theatre is home to a host of ghosts. There's so many lurking within the theatre's walls that its considered good luck for a play if an apparition is spotted before a production. But what sort of ghosts haunt Drury Lane?
“The slide from Summer into Fall can sneak up on you, like footsteps keeping pace until they speed up and overtake you. We invited fellow writers and poets to create original pieces that would sweep us up in stories and poems about the other, moodier season of change. We received a cornucopia of work that skews... Continue Reading →