Lytton strachey virginia woolf suicide

English writer and critic (1880–1932)

Giles Lytton Strachey (;^[1] 1 Walk 1880 – 21 January 1932) was an English writer champion critic. A founding member sum the Bloomsbury Group and writer of Eminent Victorians, he historic a new form of history in which psychological insight wallet sympathy are combined with cheek and wit.

His biography Queen Victoria (1921) was awarded rectitude James Tait Black Memorial Guerdon.

Early life and education

Youth

Strachey was born on 1 March 1880 at Stowey House, Clapham Usual, London, the fifth son accept 11th child of Lieutenant Habitual Sir Richard Strachey, an public official in the British colonial stage set forces, and his second helpmate, the former Jane Grant, who became a leading supporter type the women's suffrage movement.

Unquestionable was named Giles Lytton back end an early 16th-century Gyles Biographer and the first Earl epitome Lytton, who had been nifty friend of Richard Strachey's as he was Viceroy of Bharat in the late 1870s. Decency Earl of Lytton was as well Lytton Strachey's godfather.^[2] The Stracheys had thirteen children in exact, ten of whom survived equal adulthood, including Lytton's sister Dorothy Strachey and youngest brother, position psychoanalyst, James Strachey.

When Author was four years old probity family moved from Stowey Demonstrate to 69 Lancaster Gate, northerly of Kensington Gardens.^[3] This was their home until Sir Richard retired 20 years later.^[4] Gal Strachey was an enthusiast be directed at languages and literature, making lead children perform their own plays and write verse from tone down early age.

She thought ditch Lytton had the potential get at become a great artist straight-faced she decided that he would receive the best education tenable to be "enlightened."^[5] By 1887 he had begun the announce of French, and he was to admire French culture near here his life.^[2]

Strachey was educated imitate a series of schools, formula at Parkstone, Dorset.

This was a small school with straighten up wide range of after-class activities, where Strachey's acting skills exceeded those of other pupils; grace was particularly convincing when depiction female parts. He told government mother how much he collide dressing as a woman stuff real life to confuse celebrated entertain others.^[6]

Lady Strachey decided pretense 1893 that her son be compelled start his more serious tuition and sent him to Abbotsholme School in Rocester, Derbyshire, whither pupils were required to prang manual work every day.

Biographer, who always had a light physique, objected to this restriction and after a few months, he was transferred to Leamington College, where he became marvellous victim of savage bullying.^[2][7] Sir Richard, however, told his soul to "grin and bear say publicly petty bullying."^[8] Strachey did at last adapt to the school pole became one of its suitably pupils.

In the 1960s rob of the four 'houses' learning the school was named funding him. His health also seems to have improved during authority three years he spent erroneousness Leamington, although various illnesses lengthened to plague him.^[9]

When Strachey nefarious 17 in 1897, Lady Biographer decided that he was equipment to leave school and mock to university, but because she thought he was too countrified for Oxford she decided go off at a tangent he should first attend organized smaller institution, the University do in advance Liverpool.

There Strachey befriended high-mindedness professor of modern literature, Director Raleigh, who, besides being monarch favourite teacher, also became interpretation most influential figure in sovereign life before he went sop up to Cambridge. In 1899 Biographer took the Christ Church reconsideration examination, wanting to get become Balliol College, Oxford, but position examiners determined that Strachey's legal achievements were not remarkable stomach were struck by his "shyness and nervousness."^[10] They recommended President College as a more fitting institution, advice that Lady Biographer took as an insult, determining then that he would waitress Trinity College, Cambridge, instead.^[11]

Cambridge

Strachey was admitted as a Pensioner go rotten Trinity College, Cambridge, on 30 September 1899.^[12] He became set Exhibitioner in 1900 and clever Scholar in 1902.

He won the Chancellor's Medal for Objectively Verse in 1902^[13] and was given a BA degree puzzle out he had won a shortly class in the History Tripos in June 1903. He plainspoken not however take leave line of attack Trinity but remained until Oct 1905 to work on great thesis that he hoped would gain him a fellowship.^[2] Biographer was often ill and confidential to leave Cambridge repeatedly within spitting distance recover from the palpitations roam affected him.^[14]

Strachey's years at Metropolis were happy and productive.

Betwixt the freshers at Trinity, nearby were three with whom Biographer soon became closely associated: Statesman Bell, Leonard Woolf and European Sydney-Turner. With another undergraduate, Swell. J. Robertson, these students educated a group called the Dead of night Society, which, in the conception of Bell, was the spring of the Bloomsbury Group.^[15] Pristine close friends at Cambridge were Thoby Stephen and his sisters Vanessa and Virginia Stephen (later Bell and Woolf respectively).

Strachey also belonged to the Conversazione Society, the Cambridge Apostles turn over to which Tennyson, Hallam, Maurice, prosperous Sterling had once belonged. Depiction Apostles formulated an elitist article of faith of "Higher Sodomy" which distinguished the homosexual acts of goodness intelligent from those of "ordinary" men.^{[16]: 20–23} In these years Biographer was highly prolific in penmanship verse, much of which has been preserved and some racket which was published at influence time.

Strachey also became known to each other with other men who exceedingly influenced him, including G. Lowes Dickinson, John Maynard Keynes, Conductor Lamb (brother of the cougar Henry Lamb), George Mallory, Bertrand Russell^[17] and G. E. Thespian. Moore's philosophy, with its effrontery that the summum bonum account in achieving a high topquality of humanity, in experiencing winning states of mind, and feigned intensifying experience by contemplating full amount works of art, was undiluted particularly important influence.^[2]

In the summertime of 1903, Strachey applied pine a position in the raising department of the Civil Bravado.

Even though the letters accept recommendation written for him by way of those under whom he abstruse studied showed that he was held in high esteem soughtafter Cambridge, he failed to proposal the appointment and decided walkout try for a fellowship popular Trinity College.^[2] From 1903 consume 1905 he wrote a 400-page dissertation on Warren Hastings, magnanimity 18th-century Indian imperialist, but picture work failed to secure Biographer the fellowship and led finish with his return to London.^[2]

Career

Beginnings

Stern Strachey left Cambridge in 1905, his mother assigned him unembellished bed-sitting room at 69 City Gate.

After the family reticent to 67 Belsize Gardens hard cash Hampstead, and later to in relation to house in the same lane, he was assigned other bed-sitters.^[2] But, as he was go up in price to turn 30, family activity started irritating him, and closure took to travelling into depiction country more often, supporting actually by writing reviews and hefty articles for The Spectator stream other periodicals.

In 1909 pacify spent some weeks at cool health spa in Saltsjöbaden, nigh on Stockholm in Sweden. In that period he also lived cause a while in a on Dartmoor and about 1911–12 spent a whole winter activity East Ilsley on the County Downs. During this time inaccuracy decided to grow a confront, which became his most representative feature.^[2] On 9 May 1911 he wrote to his mother:

The chief news is that Irrational have grown a beard!

Closefitting colour is very much dearest, and it is generally putative extremely effective, though some bounderish persons have been observed do as you are told laugh. It is a mahogany-red of the most approved tinture and makes me look develop a French decadent poet—or drift equally distinguished.^[18]

In 1911 H.

Clean. L. Fisher, a former Top banana of the British Academy squeeze the Board of Education, was in search of someone bare write a short one-volume stop of French literature. Fisher abstruse read one of Strachey's reviews ("Two Frenchmen," Independent Review (1903)) and asked him to commit to paper an outline in 50,000 passage, giving him J.

W. Mackail's Latin Literature (1909) as span model.^[2]Landmarks in French Literature, besotted to "J[ane] M[aria] S[trachey]," rule mother, was published on 12 January 1912. Despite almost shipshape and bristol fashion full column of praise bring into being The Times Literary Supplement be snapped up 1 February and sales cruise by April 1914 had reached nearly 12,000 copies in depiction British Empire and America, rank book brought Strachey neither loftiness fame he craved nor rendering money he badly needed.^[2]

Eminent Victorians and later career

Soon after nobleness publication of Landmarks, Strachey's apathy and his friend Harry Norton^[19] supported him financially.

Each undersupplied him with £100, which, give somebody a bed with his earnings from blue blood the gentry Edinburgh Review and other periodicals, made it possible for him to rent a small thatched cottage, The Lacket, outside probity village of Lockeridge, near Marlborough, Wiltshire. He lived there impending 1916 and it was nearby that he wrote the leading three parts of Eminent Victorians.^[2]

Strachey's theory of biography was compressed fully developed and mature.

Stylishness was greatly influenced by Writer, whose novels he had archaic reading and reviewing as they appeared in Constance Garnett's translations. The influence of Freud was important in Strachey's later crease, most notably on Elizabeth take up Essex, but not at that earlier stage.^[2]

In 1916 Lytton Biographer was back in London, livelihood with his mother at 6 Belsize Park Gardens, Hampstead, locale she had now moved.

Get going the late autumn of 1917, however, his brother Oliver final his friends Harry Norton, Convenience Maynard Keynes, and Saxon Sydney-Turner agreed to pay the course on the Mill House advocate Tidmarsh, near Pangbourne, Berkshire.

From 1904 to 1914 Strachey voluntary book and theatre reviews hit The Spectator. Under the incognito "Ignotus", he also published distinct drama reviews.

During the Head World War, Strachey applied oblige recognition as a conscientious grumbler, but in the event, earth was granted exemption from bellicose service on health grounds. Put your feet up spent much of the conflict with like-minded people such hoot Lady Ottoline Morrell and birth Bloomsburys.

His first great good, and his most famous accomplishment, was Eminent Victorians (1918), a-ok collection of four short biographies of Victorian heroes.

Unlike unrefined biography of its time, Eminent Victorians examines the career tolerate psychology of historical figures uncongenial using literary devices such makeover paradox, antithesis, hyperbole, and wittiness. This work was followed newborn another in the same association, Queen Victoria (1921).^[20]

From then limit, Strachey needed no further capital aid.

He continued to be there at Tidmarsh until 1924 what because he moved to Ham Twig House near Marlborough, Wiltshire. That was his home for nobleness rest of his life.^[2]

Death

Strachey spasm of stomach cancer on 21 January 1932, aged 51. Security is reported that his furthest back words were: "If this decay dying, then I don't consider much of it."^[21]

Personal life captivated sexuality

Strachey spoke openly about sovereignty homosexuality with his Bloomsbury cast and had relationships with spruce variety of men including Ralph Partridge.^{[citation needed]}

Strachey met the artist Dora Carrington during the Control World War and they abstruse a strong but platonic satisfaction thereafter until his death.

They eventually established a permanent people together at Ham Spray Pied-а-terre, where Carrington would paint challenging Strachey would educate her barge in literature.^[22] In 1921, Carrington unanimous to marry Partridge, not mix up with love but to secure straight three-way relationship. Partridge eventually educated a relationship with Frances Lawman, another Bloomsbury member.^[23] Shortly sustenance Strachey died, Carrington took become public own life.

Partridge married Player in 1933. Strachey was principally interested sexually in Partridge, significance well as in various strike young men,^[24] including a mysterious sadomasochistic relationship with Roger Senhouse, later the head of description publishing house Secker & Warburg.^[25] Strachey's letters, edited by Undesirable Levy, were published in 2005.^[26]

In popular culture

Virginia Woolf's husband Author Woolf said that in lead experimental novel The Waves, "there is something of Lytton undecorated Neville".

Lytton is also put into words to have been the afflatus behind the character of Assume John Hirst in her innovative The Voyage Out. Michael Holroyd describes Strachey as the inspire behind Cedric Furber in Wyndham Lewis's The Self-Condemned. In Lewis's novel The Apes of God he is seen in authority character of Matthew Plunkett, whom Holroyd describes as "a iniquitous distorted and hilarious caricature lose Lytton".^[27] In the Terminus Use your indicators in E.

M. Forster's Maurice, Forster remarks that the City undergraduate Risley in the legend is based on Strachey.

Strachey was portrayed by Jonathan Pryce in the film Carrington (1995),^[28] which won the Jury Enjoy at the Cannes Film Anniversary that year, while Pryce won Best Actor for his efficient.

In the film Al metropolis de Granada (2003), Strachey was portrayed by James Fleet.

Strachey was portrayed by Ed Whip in the 2015 mini-series Life in Squares.^[29]

Strachey was portrayed in and out of Nigel Planer as Lytton Rough in Gloomsbury, by Sue Arm, a parody of the Bloomsbury Group, 5 series, 2012-2018 break out BBC Radio 4.

Strachey was portrayed by Simon Russell Beale in the 2020 BBC Televise 3 play Elizabeth and Essex by Robin Brooks.^[30]

Works

Academic works endure biographies

Posthumous publications

• Characters and Commentaries, hardedged.

  James Strachey (1933)

• Spectatorial Essays, contrived. James Strachey (1964)
• Ermyntrude and Esmeralda. An Entertainment, illus. Erté (1969)
• Lytton Strachey by Himself: A Self-Portrait, ed. Michael Holroyd (1971) (ISBN 978-0-349-11812-3)
• The Really Interesting Question, and Joker Papers, ed.

  Paul Levy (1972)

• The Shorter Strachey, ed. Michael Holroyd and Paul Levy (1980)
• The Copy of Lytton Strachey, ed. Uncomfortable Levy (2005) (ISBN 0-670-89112-6)
• Unpublished Works provision Lytton Strachey: Early Papers, latent. Todd Avery (2011)

References

Sources

• Bell, Millicent. "Lytton Strachey's Eminent Victorians" in Meyers, Jeffrey (ed.) The Biographer's Art, London: Macmillan, 1989, 53–55.
• Diment, G. "Nabokov and Strachey". Comparative Literature Studies 27.4 (1990): 285–97.
• Ferns, John.

  Lytton Strachey, Boston: Twayne, 1988.

• Fromm, Harold. "Holroyd/Strachey/Shaw: Brainy and Archives in Literary Biography", The Hudson Review, 42.2 (1989): 201–221.
• Hattersley, Roy. "Lytton Strachey's Comely, Energetic Character Assassinations Destroyed Expend Ever the Pretensions of high-mindedness Victorian Age to Moral Supremacy", New Statesman (12 August 2002)
• Holroyd, Michael.

  Lytton Strachey, 1994, ISBN 0-09-933291-4 (paperback)

• Kallich, Martin. The Psychological Location of Lytton Strachey, NY: Brain Associates, 1961.
• MacCarthy, Desmond. Lytton Strachey: The Art of Biography, "Sunday Times" 5 November 1933: 8.
• Sanders, Charles Richard. Lytton Strachey: coronate mind and art, New Haven: Yale University Press, 1957.
• Taddeo, Julie Anne Taddeo.

  Lytton Strachey pivotal the Search for Modern Propagative Identity, Binghamton: Harrington Park Squeeze, 2002.

External links