Graham R.: Rosamund Marriott Watson, Woman of LettersRosamund Marriott Watson was a gifted poet, an erudite literary and art critic, and a daring beauty whose life illuminates fin-de-siècle London and the way in which literary reputations are made--and lost. A participant in aestheticism and decadence, she wrote six volumes of poems noted for their subtle cadence, diction, and uncanny effects. Linda K. Hughes unfolds a complex life in Graham R.: Rosamund Marriott Watson, Woman of Letters, tracing the poet's development from accomplished ballads and sonnets, to avant-garde urban impressionism and New Woman poetry, to her anticipation of literary modernism. Despite an early first divorce, she won fame writing under a pseudonym, Graham R. Tomson. The influential Andrew Lang announced the arrival of a new poet he assumed to be a man. She was soon hosting a salon attended by Lang, Oscar Wilde, and other 1890s notables. Publishing to widespread praise as Graham R., she exemplified the complex cultural politics of her era. A woman with a man's name and a scandalous past, she was also a graceful beauty who captivated Thomas Hardy and left an impression on his work. At the height of her success she fell in love with writer H. B. Marriott Watson and dared a second divorce. Graham R. combines the stories of a gifted poet, of London literary networks in the 1890s, and of a bold woman whose achievements and scandals turned on her unusual history of marriage and divorce. Her literary history and her uncommon experience reveal the limits and opportunities faced by an unconventional, ambitious, and talented woman at the turn of the century. |
From inside the book
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... April 1889 , 526 ; Sharp's diary entry of 4 January 1890 noted , “ Wrote article of 2,500 words upon Balzac ( for The Scottish Leader ) " ( E. Sharp , William Sharp , 161 ) . 41. Lilian Whiting , Louise Chandler Moulton : Poet and ...
... April 1902 , Huntington Library . For an extended analysis of self - promotion by GRT and RMW , see my “ Angling for ... April 1901 , PM ; HBMW to HGW , April 1900 [ day excised ] , 25 April 1901 , 15 July 1902 , UI ; RMW to HGW , 11 ...
... April 1900 , “ The peace of God be with you for your tender management ! I am always doubting of myself , and you have cheered me into reassurance ” ( UI ) . 24. RMW to HGW , 25 November 1901 , 17 February , 20 February 1902 , UI ; HGW ...