A. Mary F. Robinson : Victorian Poet and Modern Woman of Letters

The first literary biography of poet and author A. Mary F. Robinson, examining her impact on the Anglo-French community spanning Victorian England and France. This critical biography of A. Mary F. Robinson traces her unorthodox journey through the literary circles of London and Paris as a writer of poetry and prose, a leading member of the Anglo-French community, and a significant contributor to the cultural and literary shift from nineteenth-century Victorianism to twentieth-century modernism. "Born in England in 1857, Agnes Mary Frances Robinson contributed to cultural and literary currents from nineteenth-century Victorianism to twentieth-century modernism; she was equally at home in London and Paris and prolific in both English and French. Yet Robinson remains an enigma on many levels. This literary biography integrates Robinson's unorthodox life with her development as a writer across genres. Best known for her poetry, Robinson was also a respected biographer, history writer, travel writer, and contributor of reviews and articles to the Times Literary Supplement for nearly forty years. She had a romantic friendship with the writer Vernon Lee and two happy - and celibate - marriages. Her salons in London and Paris were attended by major literary and artistic figures, and she counted amongst her friends Robert Browning, Oscar Wilde, John Addington Symonds, Gaston Paris, Ernest Renan, and Maurice Barrès. Reflecting a decade of research in international archives and family papers, A. Mary F. Robinson reveals the extraordinary woman behind the popular writer and critically acclaimed poet."-- Provided by publisher

Born in England in 1857, Agnes Mary Frances Robinson contributedto cultural and literary currents from nineteenth-centuryVictorianism to twentieth-century modernism; she was equally athome in London and Paris and prolific in both English and French.Yet Robinson remains an enigma on many levels. This literarybiography integrates Robinson's unorthodox life with herdevelopment as a writer across genres. Best known for her poetry,Robinson was also a respected biographer, history writer, travelwriter, and contributor of reviews and articles to the TimesLiterary Supplement for nearly forty years. She had a romanticfriendship with the writer Vernon Lee and two happy - and celibate- marriages. Her salons in London and Paris were attended by majorliterary and artistic figures, and she counted amongst her friendsRobert Browning, Oscar Wilde, John Addington Symonds, Gaston Paris,Ernest Renan, and Maurice Barrès. Reflecting a decade of researchin international archives and family papers, A. Mary F.Robinson reveals the extraordinary woman behind the popularwriter and critically acclaimed poet.

Cover 1 A. Mary F. Robinson 2 Title 4 Copyright 5 Dedication 6 Contents 8 Preface and Acknowledgments 10 Figures 14 Introduction: An Anglo-French Life 28 1 A. Mary F. Robinson: “A Born Poet” 49 2 London, Florence, and Vernon Lee, 1880–82 79 3 Experiments with Fiction, Biography, and Poetic Realism, 1883–85 119 4 Final Years in London, 1885–88 151 5 Mary James Darmesteter, 1889–99 210 6 Mary Duclaux, 1900–12 261 7 The Belle Époque and Literary “War Work” 304 Conclusion: The Legacy of A. Mary F. Robinson/Mary James Darmesteter/Mary Duclaux 347 Notes 358 Bibliography 382 Index 426