Lytton Strachey: An Annotated Bibliography of Writings About Him

LYTTON STRACHEY: AN ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY OF WRITINGS ABOUT HIM By Martin Kall ich (Northern Illinois University) [Editor's Note: This bibliography has been wholly compiled by Dr. KaI lieh, the author of THE PSYCHOLOGICAL MILIEU OF LYTTON STRACHEY. Dr. KaI lieh is also responsible for the bulk of the annotations. The staff of EFT and friends in various corners of the academic world have also had a modest hand in making this bibliography as nearly complete as any such project is likely to be. Items read by others than Dr. KaI lieh are signed or initialed, but the staff of EFT wish to thank, especially, the following persons for their excellent help: George De Melos (Purdue, Modern Languages) for the Portugese item, John Houkes (Purdue, Library) for the Dutch items, James G. Kennedy (Upsala College) for some items he searched out for us in New York, and Xanta Woodford (Purdue) for the Italian and Slavic items. The bulk of the German and French material was read by H. E. Gerber. The reviews were, in the main, read by H. E. and H. S. Gerber. All items included in this bibliography have been seen and read except for the few designated "Not seen." We have not, generally, included items which make no mention of Strachey but which might be considered important essays or books on the art of biography or on Strachey's milieu. We have not attempted to search out al1 reviews, although we have included a fairly thorough sampling. We have generally not annotated reviews of books about Strachey, but, space allowing, we have listed some of these reviews at the end of the annotation of the book being reviewed. Since Strachey's titles are frequently repeated in the annotations and since these titles are often quite long, we have, in some cases, used short titles (eg, LANDMARKS for LANDMARKS IN FRENCH LITERATURE, PORTRAITS for PORTRAITS IN MINIATURE AND OTHER ESSAYS) and abbreviations such as the following: EV for EMINENT VICTORIANS, QV for QUEEN VICTORIA, B S- C for BOOKS AND CHARACTERS: FRENCH AND ENGLISH, E S- E for ELIZABETH ADD ESSEX, C 6- C for CHARACTERS AND COMMENTARIES. Finally, as always, we shall be pleased to hear of reasonably significant items that we have failed to list and to know of work on Strachey now in progress. We shall continue to list items in future numbers of EFT as they are published. —HEG.] Abbott, Wilbur C. ADVENTURES IN REPUTATION. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard U P, 1935. Pp. 133, 13*», 232-35; index. LS's treatment of Hume is a measure of LS and our times, notes his reaction against the hero-worshipping Victorians (EV and QV) and his use of love interest or sex appeal (E & E). LS is a popularizer really not interested in truths of history. .......... "The Widow of Windsor," NEW YORK EVENING POST LITERARY REVIEW, I (18 June 1921), k* Review of QV. LS has not written the story of the reign but of the life of the Queen and this he has done well. Although regretting LS does not allow us to see more of the age and policies in the making, on the whole the reviewer is favorable to LS's view of Victoria [HEG] Adams, James Truslow. "New Modes in Biography," CURRENT HISTORY, XXXI (Nov I929), 257-6A, espec 258-59; 26A; rptd THE TEMPO OF MODERN LIFE. NY: Boni, I93I. Pp. 171-86, LS is the leader of the psychological school of biographers, Questions the possibility and validity of a scientific, particularly psychoanaltyic, approach to biography, citing E 6- E. LS selects details to support his personal interpretation of Elizabeth and her motivation., In such a personal interpretation, established and attested facts are not clearly distinguished from fiction; thus biographical novels are not a scholarly presentation of facts, proved and accredited. Concludes with a discussion of the debunking type of biography which vulgarizes history and reduces the dignity and greatness of truly great men. Aiken, Conrad. "The Idea of Great Poetry," NATION AND ATHENAEUM, XXXVII (25 July I925), 517. Review of POPE, which is "a brilliant piece of propaganda." LS over-apologizes for Pope. [HEG] "The Air of Bloomsbury," LONDON TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT...