One Soul We Divided: A Critical Edition of the Diary of Michael Field

The first book-length selection from the extraordinary unpublished diary of the late-Victorian writer “Michael Field”―the pen name of two female coauthors and romantic partners Michael Field was known to late-Victorian readers as a superb poet and playwright―until Robert Browning let slip Field’s secret identity: in fact, “Michael Field” was a pseudonym for Katharine Bradley (1846–1914) and Edith Cooper (1862–1913), who were lovers, a devoted couple, and aunt and niece. For thirty years, they kept a joint diary titled Works and Days that eventually reached almost 10,000 pages. One Soul We Divided is the first critical edition of selections from this remarkable unpublished work. A fascinating personal and literary experiment, the diary tells the extraordinary story of the love, art, ambitions, and domestic life of a queer couple in fin de siècle London. It also tells vivid firsthand stories of the literary and artistic worlds Bradley and Cooper inhabited and of their encounters with such celebrities as Browning, Oscar Wilde, W. B. Yeats, Aubrey Beardsley, and Bernard Berenson. Carolyn Dever provides essential context, including explanatory notes, a cast of characters, a family tree, and a timeline. An unforgettable portrait of two writers and their unexpected romantic, literary, and artistic marriage, One Soul We Divided rewrites what we think we know about Victorian women, intimacy, and sexuality. The first book-length selection from the extraordinary unpublished diary of the late-Victorian writer “Michael Field”―the pen name of two female coauthors and romantic partners Michael Field was known to late-Victorian readers as a superb poet and playwright―until Robert Browning let slip Field’s secret identity: in fact, “Michael Field” was a pseudonym for Katharine Bradley (1846–1914) and Edith Cooper (1862–1913), who were lovers, a devoted couple, and aunt and niece. For thirty years, they kept a joint diary titled _Works and Days_ that eventually reached almost 10,000 pages. _One Soul We Divided_ is the first critical edition of selections from this remarkable unpublished work. A fascinating personal and literary experiment, the diary tells the extraordinary story of the love, art, ambitions, and domestic life of a queer couple in fin de siècle London. It also tells vivid firsthand stories of the literary and artistic worlds Bradley and Cooper inhabited and of their encounters with such celebrities as Browning, Oscar Wilde, W. B. Yeats, Aubrey Beardsley, and Bernard Berenson. Carolyn Dever provides essential context, including explanatory notes, a cast of characters, a family tree, and a timeline. An unforgettable portrait of two writers and their unexpected romantic, literary, and artistic marriage, _One Soul We Divided_ rewrites what we think we know about Victorian women, intimacy, and sexuality. Cover Contents List of Illustrations Acknowledgments A Note on the Text Key Figures and Familiar Names Introduction Chapter 1. Prehistory: The 1860s Diaries The Oxford Diary, 1867–68 The Paris Diary, 1868–69 Chapter 2. Ambition and Desire: 1888–93 Works and Days, 1888–89 Works and Days, Jan. 1890–July 1891 Works and Days, 1891 Works and Days, 1892 Works and Days, 1893 Chapter 3. Domestic Negotiations: 1894–99 Works and Days, 1894 Works and Days, Jan.–Oct. 1895 Works and Days, Oct.–Dec. 1895 Works and Days, 1896 Works and Days, 1897 Works and Days, 1898 Works and Days, 1899 Chapter 4. Crash: 1900–1907 Works and Days, 1900 Works and Days, 1901 Works and Days, 1902 Works and Days, 1903 Works and Days, 1904 Works and Days, 1905 Works and Days, 1906 Works and Days, Jan.–Sept. 1907 Works and Days, Sept.–Dec. 1907 Chapter 5. The Long Denouement: 1908–14 Works and Days, 1908 Works and Days, 1909 Works and Days, 1910 Works and Days, 1911 Works and Days, 1912 Works and Days, 1913 Works and Days, 1914 Published Works by Katharine Bradley and Edith Cooper Further Reading Notes Index