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ThePassionsofJohnAddingtonSymonds Photographerunknown(butpossiblyPercivalBroadbent,Davos).PortraitofAngelo Fusato.UniversityofBristolLibrary,SpecialCollections,DM911/117.Image courtesyoftheUniversityofBristolLibrary.
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FORLEO Preface SymondsandHisBooks Thisbookrepresents,inaveryrealsense,alaboroflove.Tobesure,theromance behinditseemedslowtogetofftheground.IfirstencounteredJohnAddington Symonds(1840–93)attheendofthe1980s,inalate-nightcaféandbookstorein ChapelHill,NorthCarolina,oneofseveralhauntsofminewhenIwasacollege studentinnearbyDurham.Heappearedintheguiseofavolumecontaininghis twinessays AProbleminGreekEthics and AProbleminModernEthics,theformer ofwhichwasthenjustbarely—andthelatter,notquite—acenturyold.Thesame authorresurfacedadecadelater,whenIacquired,atabooksaleinRome,threeof thesevenvolumesofhismonumental RenaissanceinItaly.Atthatverytime,Alan Stewartwaspublishinghis CloseReaders:HumanismandSodomyinEarlyModernEngland,whichinitiallysidestepsthechronologicalandgeographicalmarkers ofitstitleinordertofollowaVictorianfootnote,intheveryworkIwasthenbuyinginItaly,backtoanItalianhumanist(andsodomite!),AngeloPoliziano.Ifirst readStewart’sfinebookseveralyearslater,whenImyselfwaseditingPoliziano’s letters,andthisthirdglancingencounterwithSymonds,Irecall,didmakemewonderwhetherIshouldn’tbepayingmoreattention.Nevertheless,Symondssoon enoughslippedagainoutofsightandoutofmind.Anotherdecadepassed,and theanti-gaystricturesofUSimmigrationlawundertheDefenseofMarriageAct, thenstillinforce,constrainedmynon-citizenpartnerandme,theninLosAngeles,toleavethecountryandseekemploymentelsewhere.WelandedinBristol,in thesouthwestpartofEngland,whereItookupapositionasprofessorofLatin. ThefactthatBristolwasSymonds’shometownwasinitiallysomethingofwhich, Imustconfess,Iwascompletelyunaware.(CaryGranttoowasfromBristol:who knew?)Butthen,suddenly,thoughIoddlydonotrememberexactlywhenorhow, Ibecameawareofhispresenceeverywhere.
SoonIwasdetouring,onmydailywalktoorfromwork,andsometimesinboth directions,inordertopassbythestatelyGeorgianhousewhere“Johnnie”(ashe wasknowntofamilyandfriends)mostlygrewup.Otherroutestookmebythe smallerhousewherehewasborn,ortheoneinwhichhebrieflylivedafterhis marriage.AweekendtriptoWalesandtothebookstoresofHay-on-Wyeyielded acopyofalatesingle-volumeeditionofhis StudiesintheGreekPoets,withits extraordinarychapteron“Achilles.”Isoonacquiredacopyofhissecret Memoirs,intheabridgededitionofPhyllisGrosskurth,firstpublishedin1984,after
anembargoonpublicationfinallyexpired;agenuinepage-turner,itkeptmeup late,wellaftertheradiatorsinourtinyhousewerecold.Iturnednexttohisletters,editedinthe1960sbyHerbertSchuellerandRobertPetersinthreehulking volumes,thoughtheserepresentonlyafractionofhisprivatearchive,muchof whichwasdeliberatelyburnedseveraldecadesafterhisdeath,asIsoonlearned. Slowlybutsurely,bookstoresinBristol,includingthesmalloneonmyownstreet inCliftonVillage,suppliedcopiesofSymonds’smanypublishedworks,oftenin theirfirsteditions,whileonlinepurchasesfueledamountingbibliomaniawith whatseemedtomeunthinkablyluckyfinds,includingbooksfromhisownlibrary, sometimesbearinghisownannotations.Inaburstofenthusiasm,Itraveledto Veniceandtrackeddownthehousewhereheusuallystayedonhismanyvisits there,includingthetimewhenhefellinlovewithahandsomegondolier.More composedly,Ibegantoworkmywaythroughboxesofhispapersandphotographs housedintheUniversityofBristollibrary,guidedonlybyasmallstackoftyped pagesofferingapartialinventory,andencouragedbySpecialCollectionsLibrarianMichaelRichardsonandArchivistHannahLowery.ThereIread,forexample, theunfinishednoteSymondsstruggledtowriteinhisdyingminutesinRome,his bluepencillinegrowingshakierbythesecondbutstilllegibleinhislastwritten words,“Notimeformore.”Theletterwasaddressedtohislong-sufferingwife; byhisbedsideashewroteithadbeenhisdaughterandthegondolier.Ofcourse myeyesgrewmoist,thoughIhadbeenpreparedforthissightbythefinalitemin SchuellerandPeters’sedition.
InBristolImetotherswhoatleastpartlysharedmynewfoundpassion,suchas JohnPemble,organizerinthelate1990sofaconferenceinBristoleventuallypublishedas JohnAddingtonSymonds:CultureandtheDemonDesire (Basingstoke: Macmillan,2000).Otherswerenotprofessionalacademics:AnnieBurnside,formerwardenofthedormitoryintowhichSymonds’shousehadbeenconverted attheUniversityofBristol’sinception,authorofabookonitshistory;¹ IanVenables,acelebratedcomposerwhohadsetsomeofSymonds’spoetrytomusic;²and G.Tiley,designerofadigitalmapofSymonds-relatedsites,inwhosegenialcompanyIretracedoneofSymonds’sfavoritehikes,fromBristoltothelittlechurchat Dundry,thetowerofwhichheoftenstaredatfromhisbedroomwindow.Asdirectorofasmallinstituteattheuniversity,IthrewSymondsa174thbirthdayparty, completewithacake,andinvitedhis(andmy)newfriends.Ibegantowonder whetherJohnniehadnotbeeninmylifeallalong,wellbeforethatseemingfirst meetinginChapelHill.Hewasalreadythere,inasense,inthewordIhadonce
¹ AnnieBurnside, APalladianVillainBristol:CliftonHillHouseandthePeopleWhoLivedThere (Bristol:Redcliffe,2009).
² IanVenables,“Love’sVoice,”Op.22,and“AtMalvern,”Op.24,bothbasedontextsbyJohnAddingtonSymonds,canbeheardonAndrewKennedy,IainBurnside,andRichardHosford, IanVenables: OntheWingsofLove/VenetianSongs (Naxos,2010).
lookedupasachildinmyfamily’s1979editionof TheWorldBookEncyclopedia, sinceitwasawordthathehimselfhadbeenthefirsttointroduceintoEnglish print:“homosexual.”Sotoowashearguablythereinthehomoeroticvisionsof ancientGreecethatcaptivatedmyyounggayselfwhenIturnedfromencyclopediastonovelsbyMaryRenault,easytofind—thoughthatfactnowseemsstartling tome—eveninthepubliclibraryofasmalltowndeepintheAmericanSouth. HadInotbeenchasingSymondsfromthestart?
Ibegantowrite.Myfirsteffortsweretangled,productively,inanotherproject, onthecomplexworkingsofwhatoncewascalled“theclassicaltradition.”³Thelink helpedtomakeitincreasinglycleartomethatSymondshadlargelylivedhislifeas astruggleagainsttheapparentlimitsoftime.“Notimeformore”:notjust“time’s up,”but“thiswasnotimeforthelifeIwantedtolive.”Andthen,outoftheblue,it wasagaintimeformypartnerandmetopackourbags:thelawshadchangedand wecouldreturnhome(thanksalsotoaveryluckyofferofemployment),albeit froman“exile”fartoogentletodeservethatword,inaplaceIknewIwouldsorely miss.WhileIsawthatfirstessaytopress,Iwasloading,anxiously,mySymonds booksintocardboardboxes.TheywouldnotsailfromBristol,buttheroutethey followedtotheNewWorldwasmuchthesameasthatundertakenalmostdailyby theshipsthatoncecrowdedBristolHarbor,thethicketoftheirmastsdominating theviewfromyoungJohnnie’sbedroomwindow.Hehimselfwouldneverattempt thecrossing,buthisreveriesontheseawereattheheartofmyfirstessayabout him,andtheyremainamotifinthebookthatfollows.
InBaltimore—forthatiswhereweallweredestined,andwhereinfactweall emerged,notmuchtheworseforwear—Iresumedmywriting.Insomeways, thisnowcamemoreeasily,sinceIwasfreedfromtheubiquitoushauntingthat inBristolsometimesleftmythoughtstoobusytomovethrough.Thebooksthat hadtraveledwithmeweremoregentlyinsistentmuses,startingwithararecopy ofthefirsteditionof AnIntroductiontotheStudyofDante,inscribedontheflyleaf withasimplededication:“FromtheAuthor.”Notonlydidthelackofthename ofthededicateeleavemefreetoimaginemyselfastherecipient,butthisinturn blurredthedistinctionbetweenmyselfandthegenericallynameddedicator:this wasabookthathadmadeitswayfromone“author”toanother.Itwouldnotbe enoughtosaythatIhadfallenintotheeasytrapofidentifyingwithmysubject. Farworse,Ibegantofeelpossessedbyhim,compelled,inasense,tocompletethe workandeventolivethelifeforwhichhehadfinallyhad“notime.”Eventually, thispossessionbegantorankle,pushingmetowardsomemeasureofcriticaland evenresentfuldistance.Wasn’thisthoughtreductive,obvious?Wasn’thispoetry asbadaseveryonesaysitis?Andmostofall,didn’tIhavemyownproblemsto worryabout?
³ ShaneButler,ed., DeepClassics:RethinkingClassicalReception (London:Bloomsbury,2016).
IntimeitbecameclearthatIwasnotreallywritingaboutSymonds,atleastnot entirely.Neither,however,wasIwritingmerelyaboutmyself.Rather,Iwaswritingaboutsomethingtowhichwetogetherbelonged,indescribingwhichheandI bothhadbeendoomedtosucceedonlyinpart.Therecouldbenodoubtthatthis somethingwasoratleastincludedthehistoryofhomosexuality.Nevertheless,the lastwordofthisrubricclearlywasfartoorestrictive.Iamnotreferringsimplyto thewell-knownwaysinwhich“homosexuality”failstocaptureabroaderrange ofqueeridentitiesanddesires,ortotheword’soriginsinmedicineanditslongenduringapplicationasapathologicaldiagnosis,ortothepotentialreductiveness oftryingtounderstandanyone,includingoneself,inawaythatprivilegesromanticoreroticfeelingoverallotherkindsofaffect,oraffectitselfoverothermodesof attentionandwaysofbeing.Iamreferringinsteadtoasurprisingsetofpressures intheoppositedirection.ThemoreIlookedatSymondslookingathomosexuality, evenandespeciallyinwhatseemedtobethemostself-containedterms,themore thatobjectofcontemplationseemedtobecome,likeBorges’sAleph,awindow ontovistasasvastastheworlditself,embracing,ataminimum,thewhole longue durée of“Westernculture,”aswellasputativelyuniversalmechanismsofhuman sensation,cognition,andcommunion.Inotherwords,inthestrangestandfinest momentsofSymonds’sthought,homosexualityseemedtoemergeasnothingless thanasemi-mysticaltheoryoflife,theuniverse,andeverything.
Perhaps,Iworried,myreadinghadtakenacircularturn:determinedtoavoid thetrapofreducingSymondstoasinglelexicalinnovation,Ihadinsteadmanagedtoprojectthatwordontohisentiresurvivingoeuvre.Nevertheless,themore Iread—andintheend,IwouldreadnearlyeverysurvivingtextSymondsisknown tohavewritten,whichisnomeanfeat—themoreIbecamesurethathiswork demandedakindofpromiscuousreadingthatforgoesallcertaintyaboutwhere the“homosexual”beginsandends.WouldSymonds,Istillwondered,recognize himselfandhisworkinsuchareading?Thatheregardedhissexualdesiresasthe defining“problem”(hisword)ofhisexistenceisplain.Towardtheunderstandingofthisproblemhedirectedhisprodigiousintellect,boundlesscuriosity,and encyclopediclearning.Idonotthinkhewouldhesitatetoadmitthatnearlyeverythinghewroteserved,inonewayoranother,thisveryend.Andyet,toreadhim nowwastodiscover,nothomosexuality,forthatmuchIknewalready,butavast collectionofsometimesimprobablethingsinwhichhesoughtreflectionandperspective,fromHomertoDante,fromRenaissancemarblestotherecentproducts ofphotography,fromAlpineavalanchestotheplayoflightandcoloronthesurface oftheVenetianlagoon.Onlysomeofthesethingscouldbesaidtobelongtothe historyofhomosexualityinanyconventionalsense.ButforSymonds,theywere allofapiece.Andhowhethoughttheyfittogetherwentwellbeyondanytheory ofdesire,gayorotherwise,towhichIwasaccustomed.
ThisbookcomprisesmyvariouseffortstomakesenseofSymonds—thatis, tomakesenseofhisowneffortstomakesimultaneoussenseofhimselfandof
theworld.Theendresultofthesemeditationsishardlyabiography,notleast becauseitremainsmostlyfocusedonwhatSymondswrote,generallyignoring otheraspectsofhislife,withafewkeyexceptions.Neither,however,doesit provideanythinglikeanexhaustivestudyofhisvastandvariedbodyofwork. Probablyitcouldbestbecharacterizedasa(very)extendedessay,pursuingaspecificsetofthemesthatbynomeansaretheonlyonespossiblethroughavariety ofSymonds’stexts.Nevertheless,someefforthasbeenmadetoofferselectivebut tolerablyrepresentativecoverageofhismajorperiodofauthorialactivity,fromhis firstmonograph(which,likehissecond,incorporatesearlierlecturesandarticles), publishedin1872,totheflurryofworkscompletedintheyearsjustpriortohis deathin1893(amongwhichisalsotobefoundwritingfromthe1860s,unpublishedearlier).Towhatend?Ontheonehand,thisbookaimstoofferamore complexpictureofanimportantfigureinthehistoryofhomosexuality.Onthe other,itsprojectisapointedlyanti-historicalone,bornofSymonds’sownsense ofhisownuntimelinessandofbroaderwaysinwhichhislifeandthoughtresist historicistsortcodesoftimeandplace.
Whenandwherewas/isJohnAddingtonSymonds?Thatquestionturnsoutto beratherhardtoanswer.ThatSymondslistenedtothepastandoftenaddressed notjustthepresentbutalsothefuturemakeshimnodifferentfromcountless otherwriters,thoughthisfamiliaraspectofwriterlyself-understandingisalready onethathistoricismtendstosqueezeinapresentistvice.Moreinterestingarethe waysinwhichhereversedthispolarity,reachingtowardtheancientpastfrom theperspectiveofadayyettocome.Atthecenterofitall,tobesure,wasthe real-lifemanhimself,athisdesk,inhisstudy,surroundedbyhisbooks—notin retreatfrompresentlife(Symonds,itshouldbenoted,livedlifewithgusto),but inanearnestefforttolistenforwhathetooktobetheverypulseofthecosmos. Perhapsheheardonlyhisownheartbeat,metingoutthepresenttense,tick-tock, tick-tock.Butwhocansaywhetherheheardthereinthebeatingheartsofpastand futurelives,includingthoseoffuturereaders,amongthemthewriterofthewords youyourselfarereading?Ifwetrulyneverthoughtwesensedapulsebeneaththe page,thenevenfewerofus,surely,wouldeverfindthetimetoread—ortowrite.
“TherealthingisthatIwasnotmadetoliveintheCategoryofTime”:sowrote Symondsin1893,inaletterbacktoEnglandfromDavos,Switzerland,wherehe hadmadehishomeformorethanadecade.⁴ Eveninthefinalyearofhislife,tobe plain,Symondscouldnotreallyseewhatlayahead,suchasOscarWilde’sarrest andtrialin1895,orthefactthatthisletter’srecipient,EdmundGosse,wouldone day,decadeslater,burnSymonds’spapersinthecourtyardoftheLondonLibrary, seekingtodestroytheevidenceofthe“problem”inwhichSymondshadfound
⁴ Symonds,Letters,3:804(2075),toEdmundGosse(Davos:January10,1893):“Donotimaginethat Ieverchange.But,beinganunmethodicalcreatureandapttoobeythecurrentswhichswaytemporary action,Iseemtoforget.TherealthingisthatIwasnotmadetoliveintheCategoryofTime.”
a raisond’être.ButcouldSymondssee me—inChapelHillorBaltimore,Rome (wherehewasburied)orBristol(wherehewasborn)?Fromtimetotime,in momentswhenIhavereallyseemedtomyselftobeseeinghim,Ilikewisehave seemedtocatchafleetingglimpseofhimlookingback.Orrather,asIbought hisbooks,readhisletters,andretracedhisstepsthroughBristolandbeyond,I havesensedhispresenceinwaysnotfullyreducibletothevisual:alaugh,asigh, abrushofhishandagainstmine.Thesesound,I’msure,likethekindofdelusions inevitablysufferedbyallwriterswhogettooclosetotheirmaterial.Nevertheless, acentralaimofthisbookistomakethecaseforthefundamentaltruthofsuch contact.
“Onlythathistorianwillhavethegiftoffanningthesparkofhopeinthepast whoisfirmlyconvincedthateventhedeadwillnotbesafefromtheenemyifhe wins”:thesewordsofWalterBenjaminhavelongservedme(andmanyothers)as acriticalmantraencapsulatingourburdenofcaretowardthepast.⁵Butincontext, hintedatbyhis“hope,”Benjaminisspeakingjustasurgentlyabouttheabilityof thepasttocareinsteadforthepresent,especiallyapresent(hewrotethesewords andtherestofhisthesesonthe Begriff or“idea”ofhistoryin1940)hedgedin onallsidesbyFascismanddespair.Heavenknowsthatwetoo,inourpresent, needallthehelp(andhope)wecanget,includingfromthepast.Andsoitisthat Symondsspeakstous,helpfullyandhopefully.Atthesimplestlevel,heoffersus anewsenseofwherewehavebeenandofwherewemightstillbeabletogo.But hismoreprofoundlessonsareaboutwhatweshouldbepayingattentiontoalong thewayandtherichvarietyofformssuchattention—toourselves,tooneanother, andtotheworld—cantake.
Acknowledgments Thisbookcouldnothavebeenwrittenwithoutthegenerousandexpertassistance oflibrariansandarchivistsattheUniversityofBristol,JohnsHopkinsUniversity,ColumbiaUniversity,HarvardUniversity,UCLA,theMorganLibrary,the NationalLibraryofScotland,andtheLondonLibrary.Ofallwhocametomy aidatthoseplaces,ImustsingleoutforspecialthanksJamieCarstairs(Bristol) andPaulEspinosa(JohnsHopkins),whogeneratedseveraloftheimagesinthis book,aswellasStephenNovak(Columbia),who,whilehislibrarywasstillclosed tothepublicduringtherecentpandemic,heroicallysentsnapshotsofthemarkingsinFreud’scopyoftheGermaneditionof SexualInversion.AtJohnsHopkins, GabrielleDeanhasbeennotjustavaluedinterlocutorandcollaboratorbutalsoan
⁵ WalterBenjamin,“ThesesonthePhilosophyofHistory,”in Illuminations,ed.HannahArendt, trans.HarryZohn(NewYork:Harcourt,Brace&World,1968),255.
energeticcollector,astonishinglyacquiringforthelibraryoneofthetenoriginal copiesof AProbleminGreekEthics. SpecialthanksarealsoduetostudentsintheJohnAddingtonSymondsProject, anongoinglab-basedcoursethatIco-directwithDean.Theirintelligence,imagination,andresiliencecontinuetoinspireme.
Severalaudiencesovertheyearshavelistenedpatientlytoportionsofmy unfoldingwork.Theirquestionsandsuggestionshavebeeninvaluable.
ThankstoOxfordUniversityPressfortakingonthisbook,tomyeditorsthere andatIntegra,tothegenerousreadersofthemanuscript,andtoBloomsburyAcademic(adivisionofBloomsburyPublishing,PLC)forpermissiontopublish,as Chapter3,arevisedandexpandedversionofanessaythatoriginallyappearedin ShaneButler,ed.,DeepClassics:RethinkingClassicalReception(London:Bloomsbury,2016),21–48.ThanksalsotoYanneckWiegersforhisintrepidhelpwiththe index.Ishouldperhapsnotethatthewritingofthisbookwaslargelycompleted towardtheendof2019andthattheensuingpandemicsloweditsprogressthrough reviewandproduction,whichmeans,regrettably,thatitspublicationdateisan evenlessreliableterminusofbibliographicscopethanisusuallythecase.
Formuchneededencouragement,especiallyinthefinalyearsofthislong project,IwouldliketothankMarioTelò,MichaelRocke,AdamLecznar,Camilla Temple,JaneBennett,BillConnolly,EugenioRefini,CindyFrance,GregDohler, and,aboveall,LeonardoProietti,whohasbeenthereeverystepofthewayandto whomthisbookisdedicated,withallmylove.
1.ThatOneWord:ByronicAnticipationsofSymonds
2.Dante’sMask:Photography,Tuberculosis,andHell 69
3.Homer’sDeep:AncientGreeceandReciprocalLove 99
4.Symonds’sRenaissance:SensuousSurfacesandHegelianLimits 126
5. AnimiFigura:Symonds,Stevenson,andtheDividedSelf 173
6.QueerOrigins:MythsofChildhood,BeforeFreud
7.SexScenes:SymondsinLondon
8.QueerSensibilities:Symonds,James,Pater,andWilde
9.ElectricBlue:SymondsonVenice
ListofFigures Frontispiece:Photographerunknown(butpossiblyPercivalBroadbent, Davos).PortraitofAngeloFusato.UniversityofBristolLibrary,Special Collections,DM911/117.ImagecourtesyoftheUniversityofBristolLibrary.
1.Photographerunknown.JohnAddingtonSymondsinhisstudyatAmHof, Davos-Platz,Switzerland.UniversityofBristolLibrary,SpecialCollections, DM377/2.ImagecourtesyoftheUniversityofBristolLibrary.
2.Photographerunknown.Plastercastofthepurporteddeath-maskof Dante.Albumenprint,pastedonpaper.FrontispiecefromJohnAddington Symonds, AnIntroductiontotheStudyofDante (London:Smith,Elder, 1872).Fromthecollectionoftheauthor.
3a.PageofthefamilyscrapbookcompiledbyMargaretSymonds,daughterof JohnAddingtonSymonds.Thethreelargephotographsareinteriorand exteriorviewsofCliftonHillHouse.UniversityofBristolLibrary,Special Collections,DM375/1/folio3verso.ImagecourtesyoftheUniversityof BristolLibrary.
3b. Detailof3a.Photographerunknown.“DrawingroomatCliftonHill HouseinthedaysofmyMother’sreign”(handwrittencaptionbyMargaret Symonds).UniversityofBristolLibrary,SpecialCollections,DM375/1/folio 3verso/1.ImagecourtesyoftheUniversityofBristolLibrary.
3c. Detailof3a.WalterL.Colls,photographer.FamilyportraitofJohnAddington Symonds,MD(left),JohnAddingtonSymonds(center),andCharlotte Symonds,laterGreen(seated).Photographiccabinetcard.University ofBristolLibrary,SpecialCollections,DM375/1/folio3verso/9.Image courtesyoftheUniversityofBristolLibrary.
4.Photographerunknown.Plastercastofthepurporteddeath-maskofDante. Photogravure,withengravedcaptionandtissueguard.Frontispiecefrom JohnAddingtonSymonds, AnIntroductiontotheStudyofDante,2nded. (Edinburgh:AdamandCharlesBlack,1890).Fromthecollectionofthe author.
5.PaoloLasinio,engraver,afteranoriginalbySeymorKirkup.Gerione (Geryon).G.G.Warren,LordVernon, L’InfernodiDanteAlighieri,disposto inordinegrammaticaleecorredatodibrevidichiarazioni,vol.3(1865), plate47.FromanoriginalatJohnsHopkinsUniversity,SheridanLibraries, GeorgePeabodyLibrary.ImagecourtesyoftheSheridanLibraries.
6.MapofTreasureIsland.FrontispiecetoRobertLouisStevenson, Treasure Island (London:Cassell,1883).FromacopyintheInternetArchive,
31
70
71
72
73
85
87
archive.org/details/islandtreasure00stevrich.ImagecourtesyoftheInternet Archive. 192
7.JamesAnderson,photographer.“LeGénieduVatican”(i.e.,the“Eros ofCentocelle”or“GeniusoftheVatican”),Vatican.Photographed1859 orearlier.Albumenprint.LosAngeles,TheJ.PaulGettyMuseum, 84.XO.251.3.12.DigitalimagecourtesyoftheGetty’sOpenContentProgram. 209
8.J.C.Armytage,engraver.“TheIldefonsoGroup.”FrontispiecetoJohn AddingtonSymonds, SketchesandStudiesinItaly (London:Smith,Elder, 1879).EngravingafteraRomansculpturegroup(modifiedintheseventeenth century)inthePradoMuseum,Madrid.Fromthecollectionoftheauthor. 216
9.Detailofthe OrdnanceSurvey(EnglandandWales):LondonXXXIV,1875, 1:2500(25inch).ImagecourtesyoftheNationalLibraryofScotland. 239
Abbreviations MostworksbySymondshavebeencitedinthesamewayasotherworks,witha fullbibliographiccitationuponfirstappearanceinachapter,followedbycitation byshorttitle.Anexception,however,hasbeenmadeinthefollowingcases,which arecitedthroughoutasindicatedhere:
Symonds, Memoirs,refers,unlessindicatedotherwise,to TheMemoirsofJohn AddingtonSymonds,ed.AmberK.Regis(London:PalgraveMacmillan,2016).The sameabbreviatedcitationisusedforreferencestoRegis’sintroductionornotes.
Symonds, Letters,invariablyrefersto TheLettersofJohnAddingtonSymonds, ed.HerbertM.SchuellerandRobertL.Peters,3vols.(Detroit:WayneState UniversityPress,1967–9).Citationsarebyvolumeandpagenumberinthisedition,followedbytheinventorynumberassignedbytheeditors(inparentheses), theaddressee,theplaceofwriting,andthedate.Notethatthesecitationsoften shortenthenamesandsimplifytheplacesanddatesastheyaregivenbySchueller andPeters.Forexample,Ihavenotdistinguishedbetweenspecificaddresses andlocalesfortheplaceofwriting,norhaveIindicatedwheretheeditorshave reconstructedorconjecturedanaddressee,placeofwriting,ordateabsentinthe manuscript.Forcompleteinformation,thereaderisreferredtotheiredition.
Symonds, GreekEthics and ModernEthics refertothetwinessays AProblem inGreekEthics and AProbleminModernEthics,firstprivatelyprintedin,respectively,1883and1891.Unlessotherwiseindicated,theybotharecitedfrom John AddingtonSymonds(1840–1893)andHomosexuality:ACriticalEditionofSources, ed.SeanBrady(Basingstoke:PalgraveMacmillan,2012).
Babington, Bibliography,referstotheindispensablePercyL.Babington, BibliographyoftheWritingsofJohnAddingtonSymonds (London:JohnCastle,1925) andgenerallyisfollowedbybothpageandinventorynumber.
Classicalandsomeotherpre-andearlymoderntextsarecitedbytheirtraditionalnumberingsystems,withoutreferencetoaspecificedition,exceptina fewspecialcases.Wherepossible,thetitlegivenisthatusedbytheLoebClassicalLibrary,inordertofacilitatefurtherreference.Unlessotherwiseindicated, however,translationsfromforeignlanguagesaremyown.
Introduction OntheSurface Mydearfellow,ifyoucouldseethesurfaceIdreamof—ascompared withtheonewithwhichIhavetocontentmyself.
MarkAmbient,fictitiousauthorbasedonJohnAddington Symonds,inHenryJames,“TheAuthorof Beltraffio”
UpfromBristolCathedralsoarsParkStreet,nearthetopofwhich,tuckedalmost invisiblytooneside,isdiminutiveBerkeleySquare.Itwasinoneofitstall,narrowhousesthatJohnAddingtonSymondswasborn,onOctober5,1840.His father,alsocalledJohnAddingtonSymonds,wasasuccessfulphysicianwhohad relocatedtoBristolin1831,immediatelymakinganameforhimselfbyhelping tocoordinatethecity’sresponsetoBritain’sfirstcholeraepidemic.In1851Dr. Symondsmovedthefamilytostillhigherground:CliftonHillHouse,aneoclassicalmasterworkofdomesticarchitecturebuiltacenturybefore,withsprawling gardensatitsback.CliftonwasthenameofanenclavebuiltmostlyintheeighteenthcenturyinstatelyGeorgianstyletohousetheportcity’sincreasingly wealthymerchants,whosegainshadoftendependeddirectlyorindirectlyonthe slavetrade.Asitsnamesuggests,Cliftonwasperchedonheightsthatenjoyed commandingviewsover—butweremostlyprotectedfromthesmellsandsounds risingfrom—theteemingportbelow,stilloneoftheworld’sbusiestwhenthe youngerSymondswasborn.Symondsalmostinvariablyreferstohishometown asCliftonratherthanBristol,andthedistinctionistelling.Cliftonwasaplaceof bourgeoisrespectabilityandverdantleisure.Theport,bycontrast,teemedwith seafaringrogueslikeLongJohnSilver—atleastasRobertLouisStevenson,whom Symondslatermetandbefriended,imaginesBristolHarborintheearlychaptersof TreasureIsland.Itwasalso,accordingtothepublishedaccountofthecholeraepidemicbySymonds’sfather,where“aseafaringman”firstbroughtthedreaddisease tothecity.¹
¹ JohnAddingtonSymonds,M.D.,“RemarksupontheProgressandCausesofCholeraasIt OccurredinBristol,in1832,”in TheTransactionsoftheProvincialMedicalandSurgicalAssociation, vol.3(London:Sherwood,Gilbert,andPiper,1835),170.
ThePassionsofJohnAddingtonSymonds.ShaneButler,OxfordUniversityPress. ©ShaneButler(2022).DOI:10.1093/oso/9780192866936.003.0001
ButifCliftonwashome,thesometimesperilousportanditssailorswere thesourceofSymonds’searliestsexualfantasies,dutifullyrecordedinhislongunpublished Memoirs. ² The Memoirs,infact,arerichindetailaboutSymonds’s childhood.Althoughheoffersrevealingsnapshotsofmid-centurylifeinClifton, hismostenthusiasticdescriptionsareinsteadofBristol’snaturalsetting,especially theAvonGorge,atthebottomofwhichrunsthetidalriverthatintermittently linkstheport,severalmilesinland,withBristolChannelandthesea.Inthewoods thatrisealongthegorge’ssteepslopes,theyoungSymondscultivatedatypically Victorianloveofnature,mingled,however,withtheincreasinglydistinctsignsof hisownsexualawakening.(Muchlater,althoughfarfromhome,Symondswould oftenreturninhismind’seyetothisuniquenaturalsetting.)The Memoirs also offervividdepictionsofSymonds’srelationshipwithhisfather,siblings,andother relatives(hehasonlyafewfleetingmemoriesofhismother,whodiedwhenhewas stillquiteyoung),aswellasofhisteachers,playmates,andfriends.InSymonds’s account,theseearlyyearsseemmostlytohavebeenhappyones.
Atage13SymondswaspackedofftoHarrowSchool,thenjustoutsideLondon, oneofseveralhistoricboardingschoolsforthemalechildrenofBritain’swell-todo.Therebothhishealthandhishappinesstookmarkedlydownwardturns.His Memoirsoffergraphicdescriptionoframpantsexualactivityamongtheboys,hypocritically(thoughunseverely)censuredbytheheadmaster,theReverendCharles Vaughan,whowashimselfhavinganaffairwithastudent.Therepugnancethat Symondsreportshavingfeltforallthiswasnotwithoutameasureofself-loathing, butitalsorepresentedanefforttoclaimadifferentstatusforhisowndesires.Itwas whileatHarrowthathefirstfoundwhatseemedaclearreflectionofthosedesires, notintheboardinghouses,butinbooksofclassicalliterature,includingseveral thatpointedlywerenotpartoftheassignedcurriculum,suchasPlato’s Phaedrus and Symposium.Inthese,Symondswrites,“Idiscoveredthetrue LiberAmoris [‘BookofLove’]atlast,therevelationIhadbeenwaitingfor,theconsecration ofalong-cherishedidealism.”³ Inretrospectitiseasytoseehowthisformulation givesevenasittakesaway.Ontheonehand,ithelpedSymondstodistinguishhis desiresfromthecrassandoftenviolenthomosocialritesofpassageoftheBritish rulingclass.Ontheother,itwasmappedacrossadualismnotunlikethatwhich distinguishedairyCliftonfromthegrimyportbelow.Symondskepthisdistance fromhisclassmates’sexualescapades,buthewouldstruggleformuchofhislifeto reconcilethisPlatonic“idealism”withdesiresborndeeperinhisownflesh.
Symondstookhisgrowinginterestinancient erōs withhimtoOxford,where hesoonfellintotheorbitofthegreatPlatoscholarBenjaminJowett,destinedto
² Symonds, Memoirs,100.ForthesomewhatmoreexplicitversionSymondsgivesintheautobiographical“casestudy”providedtoHavelockEllisforSexualInversion,seeMemoirs,530,andHavelock EllisandJohnAddingtonSymonds,SexualInversion:ACriticalEdition,ed.IvanCrozier(Basingstoke: PalgraveMacmillan,2008),143.
³ Symonds, Memoirs,152.
becomealifelongfriend.(SymondswouldmuchlaterassistJowettinrevisinghis translationoftheSymposium.⁴)Beyondhisstudies,hebeganexpressinghisdesires inclassicizingpoems,oneofwhichwouldeventuallyfigureinanapparently trumped-upchargeofsexualimmoralitybroughtagainsthimbyafellowstudent;thoughhesurvivedthechargewithoutseriouspunishment,theexperience promptedanewcrisisofmentalandphysicalhealth.Hisself-expression,however,wasnotlimitedtoprivateverseorancientsubjectmatter.In1860Symonds wonOxford’sNewdigatePrizeforEnglishVerse,withapoemtitled TheEscorial; printedasapamphlet,itwasthefirstpublicationofwhatwouldturnouttobea staggeringlyprolificcareer.⁵ AnessayontheRenaissance—atermonlyrecently coinedinFrenchtodesignatetherevivalofclassicalantiquityinandaround thefifteenthcentury—woninsteadtheOxfordChancellor’sPrizein1863.⁶ Both prize-winningpiecesreceivedpublicreadingsbySymondsatOxford’sSheldonian Theatre,beforeillustriousaudiences.
TheperiodafterOxfordwasoneofoftenpainfulturmoil,vividlydocumented bySymondsinhis Memoirs.In1864hemarriedCatherineNorth,withwhomhe wouldeventuallyhavefourdaughters.Thefollowingyear,havingsetuphouse inLondon,hebegananintendedcareerasalawyer.Butthesuddencollapseof hishealth,forwhichhenowreceivedadefinitivediagnosisoftuberculosis,led himtoabandonthisplan.HereturnedwithCatherinetoClifton,takingahouse onelegantVictoriaSquare.In1871,followingthedeathofhisfather,Symonds relocatedthefamilytotheevengrandersurroundingsofCliftonHillHouse,his childhoodhome.Symondsnowturnedinearnesttohisworkasascholarand writer.Hestartedpublishingengaginglywrittenarticlesonawidearrayofsubjects inBritishperiodicals.InClifton,helecturedtoawomen’sgroupand,separately,to youngmenatCliftonCollege.(Oneofthelatter,withwhomhefelldeeplyinlove, receivesanentirechapterinthe Memoirs.)Hebegantoassemblehislecturesand articlesonGreekliterature,onDante,andonItaliantravelintohisfirstbooks.So toodidhebegintopublishhispoetry,thoughoftenwithitspronounsalteredto regenderitsreferences.Moreexplicitpieceswereprintedprivatelytosharewith friends.HecontinuedworkbegunatOxfordonGreeksexuality,draftingwhat wouldlaterbecometheremarkablyinfluentialessayAProbleminGreekEthics.He alsobeganworkon TheRenaissanceinItaly,thesevenvolumesofwhichwould bepublishedbetween1875and1886.
Buthishealthproblemsprovedintractable.Travelsouth,especiallytothecool, dryairoftheAlps,providedrespiteforhisdiseasedlungs.In1880Symondsmoved theentirefamilypermanentlytoDavos,Switzerland,fromwhichhewouldmake
⁴ Symonds, Memoirs,152.
⁵ Symonds, Memoirs,179. JohnAddingtonSymonds, TheEscorial:APrizePoem,Recitedinthe Theatre,Oxford,June20,1860 (Oxford:T.andG.Shrimpton,1860).
⁶ Symonds,Memoirs,215.JohnAddingtonSymonds,TheRenaissance:AnEssayReadintheTheatre, Oxford,June17,1863 (Oxford:HenryHammans,1863).
occasionaltripsbacktoEnglandandfarmorefrequentonestopointsfarther south,especiallyVenice,wherehesometimeslingeredforlongperiods.Therehe metthegondolierAngeloFusato,whobecamebothaloverandahouseholdservant.InDavosand,sometimes,inVenice,Symondscarriedonwritingatasteady clip,sendinghismanuscriptsbacktoEnglandforpublication.Healsoreadwidely, includingintherapidlyexpandingGermanfieldofsexology.AthomeinDavos aswellasontheroad,Symondsmetaglitteringarrayofotherwritersandexpatriates.Butitwasasaletter-writerthathemostnotablyconstructedanetworkof influence.WaltWhitman,forexample,whomhewouldnevermeet,wasaregular addressee,thoughasomewhatelusiverespondent.AnumberofthesecorrespondentsreceivedcopiesofSymonds’sprivatelyprintedworks,suchas AProblemin GreekEthics.Itwasinthecompaniontothisessay, AProbleminModernEthics, privatelyprintedin1891,thatSymondsbecamethefirsttoimportarecentGermancoinageintoEnglishprint,as“homosexual.”Bothessayswouldbethebasis ofhiscollaborationbycorrespondencewithHavelockEllison SexualInversion, whichwouldbepublishedafterSymonds’sdeath(andquicklysuppressed).
SymondsdiedonApril19,1893,attheageof52,inRome,onhiswayback fromatriptosouthernItaly.ByhissidewerehisdaughterMargaretandthegondolierFusato.Bythenhewastheauthorofastaggeringnumberandvarietyof works,mostaimedatageneralbuteducatedreadership.Someofthese,suchashis biographyofMichelangeloandhistranslationoftheautobiographyofBenvenuto Cellini,wouldremaininprintfarintothetwentiethcentury.Others,though, weresoonforgotten.Meanwhile,Symonds’ssubstantialprivatearchiveprompted abehind-the-scenesstrugglethatwouldlastfordecades.Intheend,mostofhis papersweredestroyed.His Memoirs,however,intwohulkingmanuscriptvolumes,wereeventuallydepositedintheLondonLibrary(aprivatelibrarywhose readerspayasubscriptionfee),albeitwithalengthyembargoonconsultation orpublication.In1964PhyllisGrosskurthpublishedaforthrightbiographyof SymondsbasedontheMemoirs,whichshewasallowedtoconsultbutnottoquote directly.⁷ (Grosskurth’sbiographywasprecededby HoratioBrown’s1895 authorizedbiography,essentiallyathoroughbowdlerizationofthe Memoirs,andbya curiouslittle“biographicalstudy”bytheAmericanwriterVanWyckBrooks.⁸) In1984,theembargohavingfinallyexpired,Grosskurthpublishedasomewhat abridgedversionofthemanuscript.⁹ Acompleteversiononlyappearedin2016,
⁷ PhyllisGrosskurth, JohnAddingtonSymonds:ABiography (London:Longmans,1964).
⁸ HoratioF.Brown,JohnAddingtonSymonds:ABiography,2vols.(London:JohnC.Nimmo,1895); VanWyckBrooks, JohnAddingtonSymonds:ABiographicalStudy (NewYork:MitchellKennerley, 1914).GabrielleDeanhaspointedouttomethatBrooksknewWhitman’sfriend,confidant,andliteraryexecutorHoraceTraubel,throughwhomhecouldhavelearnedofSymonds’sfrankletterstothe poet.
⁹ JohnAddingtonSymonds, TheMemoirsofJohnAddingtonSymonds,ed.PhyllisGrosskurth(New York:RandomHouse,1984).
editedbyAmberRegis.¹⁰ Thecomplete Memoirs jointhethree-volumeeditionof Symonds’ssurvivingcorrespondence,publishedbetween1967and1969byHerbertM.SchuellerandRobertL.Peters,asthemostimportantsurvivingevidence fortheprolificauthor’sprivatelifeandthoughts.¹¹
“Amanhiddenbehindamask,awriterwhoneverattainedfirst-rank,hesufferedthetormentedstruggleofahomosexualwithinVictoriansociety.”¹² Soends theprologueofGrosskurth’sbiography,thecoverofwhich,despitethefrankness within,remainsreserved,reprisingBrown’sblandtitle, JohnAddingtonSymonds: ABiography.Thebook’sjacketflaplikewisedescribesSymondsinlanguagenoticeablytamerthanthatoftheprologue,as“amansubjectedtotheconventional pressuresofVictoriansocietywhospentoverhalfhisliferesistinghisnatural inclinations.”Similareuphemismscharacterizethetitlesofanumberofearly reviews—“AllThatEnergy”(SundayTelegraph,June28,1964),“StrangeIdeology”(TheGuardian,July3,1964),“LustforLife”(TimesLiterarySupplement, July16,1964)¹³—eventhoughthehomosexualityoftheoncecelebratedwriteris theoverwhelmingthemeofeach,justasitisofthebookunderreview.Onlythe radicalwriterPhilipToynbeecutstothechasealreadyinhistitle,“AVictorian Homosexual”(TheObserver,June28,1964).Toynbee’sreviewproceedstotake whatwouldremainastandardlineincriticismofSymonds:thatitisonlythefact ofhisoppressionthatmakeshislifeandworksofanyenduringinterestinthe present.Symonds’spreviously“hidden”homosexuality,inotherwords,istheonly realstoryhere.¹⁴
Perhapsmindfulofthisreceptionand,inanycase,wellawarethatanAmericanaudiencelargelybornafterSymonds’sdeathwasevenlesslikelytohaveheard ofhimthanitsBritishcounterpart,thebiography’ssecond,Americanpublisher fashionedsomeoftheprologue’smelodramaintoanew,catchiertitle: TheWoeful Victorian.(Grosskurthwouldlaterrecallthatsheherselfwas“extremelyannoyed” bythechange.¹⁵)Likewise,thestraightforwardauthor-portraitontheBritishdust jacketwasreplacedwiththestartlingifsomewhatcartoonishimageofahead
¹⁰ JohnAddingtonSymonds,TheMemoirsofJohnAddingtonSymonds:ACriticalEdition,ed.Amber K.Regis(London:PalgraveMacmillan,2016).
¹¹ JohnAddingtonSymonds, TheLettersofJohnAddingtonSymonds,ed.HerbertM.Schuellerand RobertL.Peters,3vols.(Detroit:WayneStateUniversityPress,1967–69).
¹² PhyllisGrosskurth, JohnAddingtonSymonds:ABiography (London:Longmans,1964),4.
¹³ Mysourceforthesereferencesandthefollowingoneisasetofclippingspreservedinacopyofthe biography(inmypersonalcollection)thatbearsanautographdedicationbyGrosskurth,datedJune 1964,toJ.ShumCox,LibrarianoftheUniversityofBristol,alsothankedinthepreface(Grosskurth, JohnAddingtonSymonds,ix).Insidethebackcover,anenvelopehasbeenlaidin,containingphotographsofthehouseSymondsbuiltinDavos-Platz,HoratioBrown’shouseinVenice,andSymonds’s graveinRome.ThischarmingartifactatteststothecollaborationandenthusiasmGrosskurth’sresearch enjoyedincertainquarters,despitetheoppositionshedescribesherselfencounteringelsewhere.
¹⁴ PhilipToynbee,“AVictorianHomosexual,” TheObserver (June28,1964),24.
¹⁵ PhyllisGrosskurth,“BringingSymondsoutoftheCloset:SomeRecollectionsandReflections,”in JohnAddingtonSymonds:CultureandtheDemonDesire,ed.JohnPemble(Basingstoke:Macmillan, 2000),175.
withtwofaces,seeninprofile:lookingleftisanancientGreeksoldier,hishelmet blendingintothebowlerhatofabeardedmanwhoroughlyresemblesSymonds himself,lookingright.Onacharitablereading,thisJanus-headedhybridseems afittingemblemforamanwholookedback,includingtotheancientGreekpast (specificallytoitscelebrationsofsame-sexlove),inordertolookforwardfromthe presenttoamorejustfuture.Moredarkly,however,theimageconjuresthesame two-facedduplicityfiguredbyGrosskurth’sprologueasthatof“amanbehinda mask.”Indeed,forsomereadersthedoubleportraitmusthavecalledtomindthe artworkusedtosellpaperbackeditions,aswellasstageandfilmadaptations,of RobertLouisStevenson’s StrangeCaseofDr.JekyllandMr.Hyde,eventhough thefactthatSymondshimselfhadpartlyinspiredthatstorywasthenstilllargely unknown.(WeshallturntothestrangecaseofthefriendshipbetweenSymonds andStevensoninChapter5.)Double,woeful,andpartlyGreek:therealsubjectof thisbookwasnomysterytobookstorebrowserswhopickeduponsomeorallthe cover’scodes,whetherornottheyhadeverheardbeforeofthemanwhoselife’s storywaspromisedbythepageswithin.
Twentyyearslater,whenGrosskurthwasatlastallowedtopublishaneditionofthe Memoirs themselves,theearliercodesandreservewereabandoned, sothatacrimsonsubtitleonthejacketcouldbrashlyhawkthevolumeas“The SecretHomosexualLifeofaLeadingNineteenth-CenturyManofLetters.”(Even so,thefactthatthissubtitleappearsonlyonthejacketofthehardbackandnot onthetitlepageorinthecataloguingdatameansitwouldnothavebeenvisibleinmostlibrariesandcouldhavebeenremovedevenbyprivatebuyers.)This time,Grosskurthusedherprologuetolookback,autobiographically,onherown yearsofworkonSymonds.Shehadfirstbeendrawntothesubjectofhislife, sheexplains,whensheencountered,“rummaginginasecond-handbookshop,” acopyofBrown’sbiography,whichmakesnosecretofthefactthatitborrows liberallyfromthe Memoirs,theninhispossession.¹⁶ “Why,Ikeptwondering,did Brown—onlytwoyearsafterSymonds’sdeathin1893—choosetowriteabiographyofSymondscomprisedlargelyofexcerptsfromSymonds’sautobiography, ratherthansimplypublishtheautobiography?”Theanswer,ofcourse,layinwhat Brownhadcut:theauthor’s“homosexuallife,”purportedlyas“secret”tothewider public,andeventomanyintimates,aswasBrown’sown.¹⁷
ItwasasSymonds’sliteraryexecutorthatBrownhadimposedtheembargo onpublicationwhenhebequeathedthemanuscript Memoirs totheLondon
¹⁶ Symonds, Memoirs,ed.Grosskurth,9.
¹⁷ Thequestionofwhatthepublic(and,importantly,whichpublic)didordidnotsurmiseabout Symondsisactuallyfarmorecomplicated:onthesometimesdelicatedancearoundhissexualityfrom obituariesandearlytributestoBrown’sbiographytothe1898entryonSymondsinthe Dictionaryof NationalBiography,see LaurelBrake,“TheDeathsofHeroes:Biography,ObitsandtheDiscoursesof thePress,1890–1900,”in LifeWritingandVictorianCulture,ed.DavidAmigoni(London:Routledge, 2006),170–6.
Libraryonhisowndeathin1926,alongwithothersofSymonds’spaperswhich EdmundGosse,longtimechairmanofthelibrary’scommitteeofdirection,and from1922vicepresident,subsequentlyburned,withthehelpoflibrarianHagbergWright.¹⁸ Theircontents,Gosseevidentlyreasoned,mightbecompromising notonlytoSymonds’senduringreputation,butalsotothereputationsofotherswhosenamesmightappeartherein,someofthemstillalive,amongthem Gossehimself.Symonds’sdaughterKatharineFurse,whohadbeentryingtotrack downherfather’sprivatepapersforawhile,includingthroughnewspaperadvertisementsseekinginformationontheirwhereabouts,learnedofthisdestruction notlongafterthefactfromWright,thoughhewoulddenythestoryin1939,by whichtimeheperhapsworriedaboutassociatinghimselfandthelibrarywith whathadbecomeafavoritemethodofcensorshipinNaziGermany.¹⁹ Symonds’s granddaughterJanetVaughan(daughterofMargaretSymonds)insteadlearnedof thedestructionfromGossehimself,when,“asayoungmedicalstudentlivingin London,”she“usedtotaketeawithEdmundGosseandMrs.GosseonSunday afternoon.”With“smuggloatingdelight,”shewouldlaterrecall,Gosseatoneof thoseteashadinformedherofhisintervention,fullyexpectingherthanks;instead, “Iwalkedoutandneverwentback.”²⁰ Whileitiseasytosharethisindignation, AmberRegis,intheintroductiontohercompleteeditionofthe Memoirs,rightly pointsoutthatVaughanevidentlysaidnothingtoGosseonthespotandonlytold thestoryin1967,inalettertotheeditorsofhergrandfather’scorrespondenceand inthewakeofGrosskurth’sbiography.²¹ RatherthanofferingatidymoralofcensoriousVictorianmenreproachedbythestrong-willedwomenofanewcentury, thestoryofthesuppressionanddestructionofSymonds’sprivatepapers,Regis argues,isprobablybetterunderstoodasacollectivefailure,spanninggendersand generations.
Infact,thebonfirehadbeenlitlongbeforeallthis—andbynoneotherthan Symondshimself.Fromthestarthewasforeveraskinghisfriendstodestroyhandwrittenorprivatelyprintedcopiesoftoo-revealingworkssenttothemforreview, asinthisfranticnotetoGrahamDakynsin1866,whichpartlyregardssectionsof aproposedepiconsame-sexlovetitled JohnMordan:
¹⁸ OnGosse’srolesinthelibrary,see AnnThwaite, EdmundGosse:ALiteraryLandscape (Stroud: Tempus,2007),356.ForamuchfulleraccountoftheburningofthepapersthanthebriefsummaryI offerhere,seeRegis’sintroductiontoSymonds, Memoirs,25–8.
¹⁹ RegisinSymonds, Memoirs,26.
²⁰ Vaughantoldthestory perlitteras (September23,1967)totheeditorsofSymonds’scorrespondence,whoquoteheratSymonds, Letters,2:381–2(972),n.1.Gosse’sownhomosexualityreceives somewhatextendedifoftenminimizingattentioninThwaite, EdmundGosse,withfullquotation(and apartialfacsimile)ofan1889letterinwhichGossethanksSymondsforsendinganeroticphotograph that,headmits,hepeekedatrepeatedlyduringthefuneralofRobertBrowning(328–9).Thesame letterisalsodiscussedbrieflyby RichardDellamora, MasculineDesire:TheSexualPoliticsofVictorian Aestheticism (ChapelHill:UniversityofNorthCarolinaPress,1990),23.
²¹ RegisinSymonds, Memoirs,27–8.
MydearGraham
PleasedonotdisobeymebutdestroyJ.[ohn]M.[ordan]TheCretanIdyllandwhat remainsoftheother3. Destroythemwithfire.Irepentindustandashesoftheir unholiness,anduntilIhearfromyourlipsthattheyareburnedIrestnotcrying Miserere.Donotdisobeyme.TheyremainengravedonmymindandinParadise wewillrepeatthemwhenSinisnomorethathathsetsosadaseparationbetween thepartsofourSouls.Donotdisobeyme,butwriteatoncethatitisdone.Aletter fromArthur[Sidgwick]hasstungmetothisrecoiluponmyself.Itisallreallywell withhim,butwildfireisabroadintheworldandwhoamIthatIshouldoffend againstGod’select.²²
Inanearlierletter,Symondshadalreadycautioned,“IfyoudonotburnJ.M. (whichIshouldprefer)keephimwithmorethancommonsecrecy”;later,he respondstotwolettersfromDakyns,“theonewrittenbefore,theotherjustafter, theholocaust,”inwhichhisfriendhadprotestedagainstthis“sacrificetoMoloch,” theCanaanitegodtowhomchildrenweresupposedlyimmolated.²³ Moreextravagantly,in1869HenrySidgwick(thephilosopher,brotheroftheArthurnamed inthelettertoDakyns)convincedSymondstolockmostofhishomoeroticpoems inabox;HenrythenflungthekeyintotheAvonRiver,perhapsfromtheClifton SuspensionBridge,whichhadopenedfiveyearsearlier,spanningthegorgeinthe woodsofwhichSymondshadenjoyedhisfirstrealkisswithanotherboyadecade before.²⁴Inotherwords,thesearedeepsecretsinmorewaysthanone,keptburied evenafterdeathwiththehelpofanetworkofinterlocutors,manyofwhomhad sharedtheirownsecretswithSymonds,includingGosse,butespeciallyDakyns andBrown,thetwoofwhomhadservedsuccessivelyasSymonds’sclosestgay friendandconfidant.
FromtheburningandburyingofSymonds’spoemsinthe1860stothepublicationandreceptionofGrosskurth’sbiographyinthe1960s,wehavequickly bookendedwhatalreadyreadsasanepicataleofsuppressionandcensorship
²² Symonds, Letters,1:678(505),toH.G.Dakyns(London:November20,1866).In Letters 1:617 (469),toH.G.Dakyns(London:January30,1866),Symondslinksthenameofhispoem(oratleast theinitialsJ.M.)tothatofaLondonnewspaperboy.
²³ Symonds, Letters,1:677(502),toH.G.Dakyns(London:November16,1866).
²⁴ Symonds, Memoirs,382:“NextdayHenrySidgwickcametostay,andwethoroughlyinvestigated thesubjectofmypoemson erôs.HisconclusionwasthatIoughttoabandonthem,asunhealthyand disturbingtomymoralequilibrium.Iassented.Welockedthemallupinablacktinbox,withtheexceptionof‘Eudiades’,theMSofwhichbelongedtoGrahamDakyns.Havingdonethis,Henrythrewthekey intotheriverAvononthe23rd.”Kiss(“inaclearingofLeighWoods,”withWillieDyer):Memoirs,157. Onthisepisodeandactsofconfession,self-constraint,andcensorshipbothrevealedandeffectedby lettersbetweenSymonds,Dakyns,andtheSidgwickbrothers,see HowardJ.Booth,“Same-SexDesire, EthicsandDouble-Mindedness:TheCorrespondenceofHenryGrahamDakyns,HenrySidgwickand JohnAddingtonSymonds,” JournalofEuropeanStudies 32(2002):283–301,and,morebroadly, Barry Schultz, HarrySidgwick,EyeoftheUniverse:AnIntellectualBiography (Cambridge:CambridgeUniversityPress,2004),whichdealsextensivelywithSidgwick’sinteractionswithSymonds,includingthe lock-boxepisode(437–8).
overthecourseofacentury—indeed,acenturyandahalf,ifweinsteadtake the2016publicationoftheunabridged Memoirs asitsendpoint.Ofcourse,it isdistinguishedfromsomeothersuchtalesbythefactthatthecensorsarenot clerics,policemen,orangrymobsbut,rather,insiders:friends,family,andeven Symondshimself.Furthermore,despitetheirreparablelossesalongtheway,this storyisasmuchoneofthecirculationofsecretsasitisoftheirdefinitiveconcealment.(AsHenryJ.Boothperceptivelyputsit,“Thepossibilityofdestructiononly seemstohaveaddedtotheenergizedrelationshipbetweendesireandrestraint.”²⁵) Indeed,oneisinclinedheretonotetheobvious:thattheresurelycanbenoworse waytokeepasecretthantowriteitdown,tosaynothingofhavingitprinted, evenprivately.Whatmostcomplicatesthiswholepicture,however,isthefactthat Symonds’s“secrethomosexuallife,”inretrospect,oftenseemstohavebeenhiding inplainsightallalong.Sometimes,infact,hissecretthoughtshadbeentoovisible forcomfortatthetime,aswhenapoemofhisthatincludesthefollowinglines hadbeenreadinevidenceagainsthimwhenheenduredtheimmoralitychargeat Oxford:
Forthisisvirtue,whenafriendwithfriend Linkedinstrongbondsofunion,letstheyears Flowoverthemunheeded,seestheflower Ofboyhoodperish,andman’sstrengthappear, Yetaltersnot,butgrowsintenderness Andmutualreverenceandequallove; Tillthegrey-beardedvillagesiresapprove, Noddingtheirheads,andcry,theageofgold Comesroundagainwhenloversthuscanlead PureweddedlivesofAchilleianhonour.²⁶
Nevertheless,thoughhewascensuredforsomeevenplainerprivateletters, SymondswasexoneratedbyMagdalenCollegeofthemoreseriouschargesagainst him.Yearslater—“forthefunofthething,”asSymondsputsitinhis Memoirs, thoughinwhatGrosskurthrightlylabelsaretrospective“gestureofdefiance”—he includedthepoeminNewandOld:AVolumeofVerse,publishedin1880.²⁷Toour ears,ofcourse,Symonds’smeaningringssoloudandclearthatwemuststruggle toimaginethereaderwhoheardanythingdifferent.Such,though,waswhathas beentakentobethe“epistemology”oftheVictoriancloset,atleastbeforethetrial ofOscarWilde:Symonds’scodes,thinthoughtheynowseem,weresufficientin hisdaytoavoidtheperiloffulldisclosurebecausetheyparticipatedinapervasive
²⁵ Booth,“Same-SexDesire,”293.
²⁶ JohnAddingtonSymonds, NewandOld:AVolumeofVerse (London:Smith,Elder,1880),56 (“HesperusandHymenaeus”).TheepisodeisrecountedatSymonds, Memoirs,210–13.
²⁷ Symonds, Memoirs,213;Grosskurth, Biography,67.
