Matthew Lewis - Complete Works of Matthew Lewis

The Complete Works of

MATTHEW LEWIS

(1775-1818)

Contents

Delphi Classics 2021

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The Complete Works of

MATTHEW LEWIS

with introductions by Gill Rossini

By Delphi Classics, 2021

Complete Works of Matthew Lewis

First published in the United Kingdom in 2021 by Delphi Classics.

Delphi Classics, 2021.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form other than that in which it is published.

ISBN: 978 1 80170 008 5

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View of London from Greenwich by J. M. W. Turner, 1825 Lewis was born in London on 16 May 1818. The precise location of the birth is unknown.

Ottershaw, a village in the Borough of Runnymede, Surrey, which was developed in the mid-nineteenth century from a number of separate hamlets and became a parish in its own right in 1871. Besides extensive West Indian property, the Lewis family were possessed of an estate in the immediate neighbourhood of Ottershaw, the seat of the Right Honourable Sir Thomas Sewell, Bart., Master of the Rolls in the reign of George III.

Lewis was fifteen years old when he began this unfinished novel, which he intended to publish anonymously adopting a female persona: the preamble reads A Pathetic Novel in the Modern Taste, being the first literary attempt of a Young Lady of tender feelings. The story is presented in epistolary style, in the form of letters between Lady Honoria Harrowheart and Miss Sophonisba Simper. The names of the characters clearly inform us that the story is not to be taken too seriously and indeed the style and language is almost joyously satirical.

The narrative opens with an elaborate adieu from Honoria to her dear friend, Sophonisba. She is leaving the estate known as Dunderhead Park, a landscape of romantic ruins, dramatic vistas and cloud-capt mountains, but she is also leaving behind her dear friend. It would seem that Honoria has known sadness and disappointment in love in this rugged, yet romantic setting and Sophonisba has been her solace and support at this time All the consolation I can enjoy is drawn from your tenderness. Indeed, Honoria implies that had it not been for her friends loving comfort, she would have ended her life, as she leaves behind not just her friend and estate staff she is fond of, but also the true object of her passion, a young man who is so far nameless.

Honoria is travelling with her father, Lord Dunderhead, who is described as being completely oblivious to all the finer sentiments and is impatient of his daughters grief. She consoles herself with the rapturous reception she receives at a ball when she arrives in London, where the assembly is overwhelmed by her beauty and grace although, as she writes to her friend, her innate modesty forbids her to tell of it. Yet, goes on to write, The men surrounded my chair in crowds and loaded me with the highest stretched compliments and... adulation. Then, with a more commendable show of sincerity, Honoria reveals that none of this attention means anything to her; it would only have been treasured by her had it come from the one man to whom she has given her heart.

Sophonisbas reply to this long letter is sympathetic, but not without criticism. She is concerned that her friend will soon forget her, as she is in danger of becoming enchanted by the sights and entertainments of the capital and she entreats her Honoria not to forget the happy times they spent together in the countryside and, of course, she is keen to know all about the man who has captured Honorias heart.

Although Honoria does not tell the identity of her lover to her friend, she does reveal that astonishingly she does not know his name or origins; instead, his beautiful eyes, his form and his sensibilities have captured her heart. As to what happens next, the reader will never know, as either Lewis did not finish the story, or the rest of the manuscript is lost.

As an example of how to write immature, elaborate late eighteenth-century prose albeit satire from the perspective of a young man, who is barely out of school, this story is a perfect example. At times it is downright laughable, as was intended, but a more serious purpose can be gained from reading this text. It offers some insights firstly into the literary ambitions of the young writer, who was never to be famous for terse or sparing prose or verse; it also illuminates the modern reader as to the attitudes of the circles Lewis moved in during his youth. In the very first letter, Honoria apologises for offering a classical quote from Orestes (a play by Euripides), saying that, The display of a womans knowledge is... esteemed ostentatious and disagreeable undoubtedly true at a time when it was not acceptable in most circles of polite society for a female to intellectually pull rank on a man. It was also unacceptable for a woman to celebrate and use her charms against the unsuspecting males of her acquaintance and yet Honoria berates herself for being so charming and beautiful that all who meet her fall under her spell she simply cannot help it!