Public-domain ebook
A Little English Gallery
Language: en14,346 downloads on Project Gutenberg
Subjects
In: Biographies·British Literature·History - British
Public-domain ebook sourced from Project Gutenberg #54219.
About this book
A Little English Gallery is a biographical sketchbook that gathers together brief portraits of notable English literary figures, chiefly drawn from articles that first appeared in periodicals such as The Atlantic Monthly, Macmillan’s, The Catholic World, and Poet‑Lore. The author, Louise Imogen Guiney, opens with a long acknowledgment of the many scholars, clergy and archivists who supplied material, then launches into a series of “unimportant sketches” that bring to life the families of Lady Danvers, the Herberts and their circle of poets, statesmen and soldiers. The opening passage weaves genealogical detail with anecdotal colour, tracing the lineage of Magdalen Newport, her marriage to Richard Herbert, and the achievements of their children, Edward, the philosopher‑author; George, the poet‑priest; and the rest of the prolific brood, while peppering the narrative with quotations from contemporary observers such as John Donne and Izaak Walton.
Guiney’s voice is that of an early‑20th‑century literary essayist, marked by a reverent, sometimes ornate style that mirrors the Victorian fascination with pedigree and moral exemplarity. Her prose moves fluidly between factual exposition and lyrical admiration, offering a dense but readable tapestry of names, dates and quotations. Readers who enjoy scholarly yet personable portraits of the Elizabethan and early‑Stuart literary world, especially those interested in the intersecting lives of poets, clergy and aristocracy, will find this work a rewarding glimpse into the social fabric that shaped England’s poetic heritage.
Who appears in A Little English Gallery
- Magdalen NewportElegant late‑16th‑century English lady, dark hair braided, modest ruff, pearl‑trimmed gown, gentle expression
- Richard HerbertMiddle‑aged Tudor gentleman, trimmed beard, doublet with embroidered sleeves, high‑collared shirt, dignified posture
- Edward HerbertYoung Elizabethan scholar, curly hair, spectacles, scholarly robe, ink‑stained fingers, thoughtful gaze
The opening · free to read
Prefatory Note
THE studies in this book are chosen from a number written at irregular intervals, and from sheer interest in their subjects, long ago. Portions of them, or rough drafts of what has since been wholly remodelled from fresher and fuller material at first hand, have appeared within five years in The Atlantic Monthly, Macmillan’s, The Catholic World, and Poet-Lore; and thanks are due the magazines for permission to reprint them. Yet more cordial thanks, for kind assistance on biographical points, belong to the Earl of Powis; the Rev. R. H. Davies, Vicar of old St. Luke’s, Chelsea; the Rev. T. Vere Bayne, of Christchurch, and H. E. D. Blakiston, Esq., of Trinity College, Oxford; T. W. Lyster, Esq., of the National Library of Ireland; Aubrey de Vere Beauclerk, Esq.; Miss Langton, of Langton-by-Spilsby; the Vicars of Dauntsey, Enfield Highway, and Montgomery, and especially those of High Ercall and Speke; and the many others in England through whose courtesy and patience the tracer of these unimportant sketches has been able to make them approximately life-like.
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