The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-06-11
AMONG THE BOOKS
Lord ByrOn's Life Woven Into
a Romance.
Miss Halle Erminie RiVes Is the
Author.
ONE OF HIS ADMIRERS.
Miss Rives Tells Clever Story of
Brilliant Poet.
Charitably COnceaIs His Faults
and ExtOls His Virtues.
NE OF HIS ADMIRERS.


Il would have made a great hit with
the poet and his admirers of his own
day, for It is conceived in the true
ByrOnic spirit-the spirit made fashion
able by the brilliant, moody, passion
ate, affected young bard in the early
part Of the nineteenth century. Miss
Rives is undoubtedly peculiarly fitted
to write Lord Byron's story as he would
have liked to have had it written and
It is doubtful if he could have pictured
himself in a light more pleasing to his
vanity, his constituencies and his own
exaggerated idea of the romance of his
career.
If this gives an impression of preju-
dice against the hero of The Castaway
at the outset it is far from the review
er's intention Lord ByrOn's place in
the literature of his century is too
thoroughly established to be assailed
and if his personal character though
acknowledged to be com pound of many
imperfectiOnS and weaknesses yet with
stood a violent attack shortly after his
death when he could not defend himself,
when he had many bitter enemies still
living and when his errors were fresh
IN mems minds, 1t IS evident how
grOundless We're the gravest charges
against MIN. So completely has Byron
memory outlived the scandals OF his
life and of the controversy concerning
them which followed his death that
many of the present generation have
never even heard of them. Today he
is known and judged as every great
artist is known and judged by poster
lty by his genius and not by his per-
Eonality. by his works and not by his
life When young people nowadays
hear of Lord Byron they think of his
poems, or at least of their titles (fOr
the Byron vogue has passed and young
people do not read so much of any
poets writings as they once did and
not at all like the young people of his
CaV of BYRON himself handsome
gifted. irresistible young nobleman VINO
in his short life Of thirtysix years rose
to the highest pinnacle of worldly fame
and success and whose personality i'm
pressed itself upon the whole literary
and social world of his day.
There is no denying that modern
readers find Byron and the Byronic
cult a little old fashioned. The world
has passed on and it has taken up
with new models both in literature
and life, although it must be admitted
that Byrons varied, brilliant and
dramatic career furnishes such suit |
able material for the recent fad for |
historic romance that it is surprising |
that no one before Miss Rives thought |
of using it in novel. But although |
the present day readers of fiction have |
of late years shown liking for read |
ing about the Byron kind of heroes, !
they nave never even threatened to /
become popular in every day life. |
Whether Miss Rives' story will revive |
the fashion or recreate interest in |
Byron's poetry remains to be seen, but
1t seems unlikely as the world moves
in cycles and it has hardly had time
enough to get around to Byron again. |
Not only the Byron vogue and the re- |
action but all their immediate effects |
must pass before tickle fashion will
be ready to take up Conrad" again.
However, Miss Rives has written an |
intensely interesting story and one /
which has all the elements of popu-
larity. Young people who know moth |
ing of Byron's life will enjoy it all as
a brilliant stirring romance and older !
readers will resume with quiet pleas
ure their acquaintance with the old
names and events so familiar in the |
days when Byron was the fashion but |
since almost forgotten. The author !
has followed the history of ByrOn's /
life very closely and there are few
discrepancies between her story and |
the biographers accounts of his ca
reer. The story opens in Missolonghi |
near the end of the poets first visit /
to Greece shortly after he left Cam
bridge and before he had made any
great stir in the world of literature
and fashion. Hobhouse, the college |
friend who followed him to Greece
and who is mentioned in the opening
lines of Childe Harold is with him
and indeed figures throughout the
story. In the next chapter when the
scene changes to London we find the
poet at Lady Jerseys house in Port
land square where he meets Lady
Caroline Lamb, one of his many in
wards turned on him and published
attacks on his character, is believed
never to have outgrown the passion
with which he inspired her, and Miss
Annabel Ailbanke, afterwards Lady
Byron. Other personages of the time
who figure in the story are Shelly,
Mary Goodwin, afterwards Mary Shell
~. her father William Goodwin, her
step-sister Jane Clermont, who was
the mother of Byron's illegitimate
daughter, allegro, Beau" Brummel,
Richard Sheridan, DIR. James Cassidy,
John Murray, the publisher 1om
Moore. all figure in the novel. All the
familiar anecdotes of the poets life
are worked in, some way or other, a t
least all those which show his gener-
Gus. heroic side, for the Byron of Miss
Rives' narrative is the Byron of his
idolfzers as far probably from the
real Byron as the Byron of his worst
The heroine of the book is the
Countess Theresa Guicciol whom /
Byron met on his second visit abroad |
and who retained her ascendency /
over his tickle fancies until his /
death Miss Rives evidently wishes /
It to appear that the countess was 4
of all the women who loved him the
one who exercised the best influence |
over the poets life, and we have the /
testimony of Shelly to the same effect. |
But there are some discrepancies. /
necessary no doubt to Miss Rives' idea
of a romance. between her story of /
their relations and the records of his /
biographers. However. that is small !
matter The Countess Guiccfolf seems /
really to have been beautiful, we'll |
born, well bred, clever and lovable |
woman, and if her relations with |
Byron were not as idyllic as ''The |
Castaway'' would give you to under |
stand. they at least compare favor
ably with his other liaisons. In the |
case of Jane Clermont Miss Rfves |
has taken rather more of a liberty /
with the facts. Her story makes Miss |
Clermont an actress at the Drury |