Writers through the centuries - 18th Century authors part 2
episode 7
"I have possessed that heart, that noble soul, in whose presence I seemed to be more than I really was because I was all that I could be."
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
A man should hear a little music, read a little poetry, and see a fine picture every day of his life, in order that worldly cares may not obliterate the sense of the beautiful which God has implanted
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
"But for my own part, if a book is well written, I always find it too short."
Jane Austen
A lady’s imagination is very rapid; it jumps from admiration to love, from love to matrimony in a moment.
Jane Austen
"The gifts of our colours may be different, but God has so placed us as to journey in the same path."
James Fenimore Cooper
Is hard to live in a world where all look upon you as below them.
James Fenimore Cooper
"When falsehood can look so like the truth, who can assure themselves of certain happiness?"
Mary Shelley
The beginning is always today.
Mary Shelley
"Our greatest fears lie in anticipation."
Honoré de Balzac
All happiness depends on courage and work.
Honoré de Balzac
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832)
One of the most influential writers of all time, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, was born in Frankfurt. Besides himself and one of Goethe’s sister, none survived their infancy.
Goethe was born in a well-established family, a family that offered Johann private tutoring in Latin, Greek, English, French, Italian and even Hebrew. He also had lessons in equestrian skills and dancing.
Studying Greek, and with a good passion for literature, Homer did become his favourite very quickly. He also enjoyed drawing, theatre, history and religion, a true erudite.
He went to Leipzig University, where he studied law from 1765 till 1768. When he fell in love with Anna Schonkopf, he wrote poems about her in the late baroque style: Rococo (1730-1760). He used to write very often during this period, but he threw away most of his work. It is here, in Leipzig, that the restaurant: “Auerbachs Keller” made quite an impression with him that he included it in one of his books: as the restaurant where Faust visits with the devil, and it is the only place that has an accurate correspondence in the book.
In 1770 he finished his studies at the University of Strasbourg, where he met the literary critic Johann Herder, which influenced Goethe greatly in triggering Shakespeare’s interest in him. At the end of August 1771, he obtained his licence, an academic degree in Frankfurt.
In this time, he was constantly between his literary career and his law one, and in 1772 he moved once more to practice law at Wetzlar. At the same time, in 1774, he wrote and published: “Sorrows of Young Werther”, a book that will give him fame and recognition. The plot has some truth based on his personal experience. The main characters are based on Charlotte Budd (to which Goethe fell in love) and her fiancé: Johann Kestner (for which Goethe got rejected over). Goethe actually bought the wedding rings for their marriage. What started off as a genuine friendship relation between Goethe and Charlotte developed into a real passion, it is maybe because of this that Goethe believed his soul committed suicide, like in a more physical way, his main character: Werther did in the novel.
Although the book became a huge success, it was also one of the first known literary novel that had some controversial weight on it. After publication, his younger readers would commit suicide after enjoying the book. Perhaps they got involved too much in the fictional plot, relating with the character. Still, the book’s popularity did not bring with it too much of a financial gain as the copyright percentage laws were almost non existing at the time.
Still, because of his fame on the rise, the Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach and future Grand Duke Karl August invited him to Weimar (to his court) in 1775, and he quickly became a close friend of the Duke. From 1776, for almost ten years, Goethe formed a close relationship with the married Charlotte von Stein. This relationship hit its bump when Goethe decided to leave for Italy ten years later without giving too much reason for his action.
In the same period, Goethe took on further critical administrative positions, as in 1779: the War Commission and Mines and Highways' commission. Further on, from 1782 till 1785, he was acting chancellor of the Duchy (similar to a prime minister role). In 1782 he received the title of “von” that indicated his nobility’s higher status.
In 1786 he left for Italy, where he lived for two years. The trip to Sicily raised in Goethe the desire for knowledge of the classical works of the Roman and Greek rediscovered culture. After this trip, he published in 1816 the: “Italian journey”, a non-fiction detail of his journey that would inspire a lot of the German youth elite to take the same trip in order to re-discover Greek art simplicity and Roman genius in art and architecture. Something that for the young nobles of the English states was well established under the name of The Grand Tour. A ceremony of coming of age, when young men were demanded to enrich their culture and develop their intellect by some travels into which to learn hands-on architecture, painting, literature, or study the antiquity philosophers in multiple countries, like France, Italian states, Dutch region or the Vatican.
In 1806 Goethe was once again living in Weimar when in October of that year, the French troops invaded his city and occupied by force Goethe’s house. Bravely enough, he put a struggle to this vandalism of his home, along with his mistress: Christiane which he married days after the occupation of his house.
1808 sees the publication of Faust, part I that only increased his fame as a great writer.
In 1832 Goethe, well over his 80’s, died of heart failure in Weimar. Goethe left a colossal legacy of literary style. It is often considered the author that ignited the romanticism movement in literature, with the aid of his books: “Sorrows of Young Werther”. The second part of the even more famous: Faust was published in 1832, posthumously.
Goethe was an influence on a vast amount of great artists: like the author E.T.A. Hoffmann, Mozart, Beethoven, and Franz Schubert (primarily by his new poetic style: introversion).
Jane Austen (1775-1817)
Jane Austen was born in Steventon rectory, Hampshire and passed away in Winchester. Jane was born in a family with a tradition in wool merchandise, well established financially, and her father was the rector of the Anglican parishes in the vicinity. But because the family wealth went to the eldest son, and then to the eldest son of that son, this fortune did not reach George Austen (Jane’s father) reason for which they were living in poverty.
In 1768, the family took up residence in Steventon, wherein an already numerous family that enjoyed the presence of James, George, Edward, Jane’s mother, gave birth to Cassandra, Francis and in 1775 to Jane. The family’s income was still substantially small, and as a comparison, he earned about five times less than a family of his status.
In 1783 Jane was sent to Oxford, but soon after, she got sent home by her educator: Mrs Cawley. The cause of this quick return was a decline in her health condition (typhus) that almost killed her. In another attempt for a more elaborate education in 1785, Jane was sent to the Abbey girls school in Reading, where she received lessons in spelling, French, dancing, music, and drama. She had to return in 1786 because the family could not afford the tuition any longer. As such, Jane went through a self-education schedule where she studied with her brothers' aid: James and Henry. She took advantage of the well established and vast various library books of her father.
Jane Austen was gifted with a natural intellect, which can be seen in her writings’ creative force. From the age of eleven, she started to write poems and stories. These stories were often, as a genre, pamphlets. These works were later revised and built together in 29 stories known as the “Juvenilia”. When she reached the age of seventeen, her skills evolved even more to a literary maturity and the: “Catharine or the Bower” is a more polished novel. Followed by: “Lady Susan”, an epistolary book in which the main character is a strong female. A woman capable of manipulation, persuading force and betrayal of her lovers to reach the desired outcome.
In 1795/1796, she got close to Tom Lefroy, a relationship that started to grow. Although it involved only dancing and time spent, expected behaviour in the courtship of the more romantic times, still it outraged Cassandra (Jane’s sister). Her sister insisted that Jane and her Irish neighbour: Tom are far too close for an unmarried couple. Because Lefroy was still dependent on an uncle from Ireland to finance him and both Jane Austen and Tom Lefroy did not have the individual financial means to marry, the two became to drift apart, with extra aid from Lefroy’s family.
The next step in Jane Austen’s writing career was to create a full-length novel and started her work on: “Elinor and Marianne.” From the original manuscript, this transformed into the 1811 famous story now known as “Sense and Sensibility”.
After this, Austen began her work on the second novel that she named: “First impression”, it got published reasonably quick, and it is now known as: “Pride and prejudice”, she finished it (as the first draft) in 1797. Her father, George Austen, did make efforts to reach out to Thomas Cadell, an established publisher of the time. Cadell rejected the manuscript initially. Austen had to take some severe revisions on the book: “Elinor and Marianne” and in 1798, she changed the epistolary format to a third party narration.
In 1798 she also started to write “Susan”, later known as “Northanger Abbey”, a satire on the Gothic genre.
From 1800/1801, her father decided to move the whole family to Bath, which affected Austen greatly in the years of 1801-1804. It was the least productive years. In 1804 she started to write on a new novel: “The Watsons”, but because she suffered a tremendous loss in her father’s death and began to associate the characters, story and plot with the real-life events, she abandoned the literary pursue of this novel.
In 1809 Austen tried to find a resolution with Crosby to get her previous novel published. He replied that she could buy back the copyright rights for the 10£ he originally paid for it, but he did not agree on any publication timeline. Austen will eventually manage to buy back the copyright of the manuscript in 1816.
From this time, Austen started to publish her books through her brother Henry. Authors had two options in earning royalties: Either they would sell their manuscript copyright for a one-time payment. Or the second option would be if the publisher would offer an advance payment, then through the sale of the books, that advance had to be recovered by the publisher. After which, the publisher would charge a 10% commission of each book’s profit. The rest would remain to the author. The second option is very similar to today’s method of earnings for an author.
From 1809 and her move to Chawton, Austen published four novels on commission, which would be typical of all of her books, except for “Pride and Prejudice”, which was sold as a copyright sell. The third option that was mainly for well-established authors with individual connections in the aristocracy is where you could sell your book by a like-subscription, meaning that the readers will pay in advance (a similar to a pre-order payment), which ensured any publisher that the book would sell at least the subscribed number of copies. However, the nobility would have the more skilled capability of influence which would generate even more sales. “Sense and sensibility” appeared on good quality, expensive paper in 1811, and the book became a topic of discussion among aristocratic circles. In less than two years, the books first batch was sold out. At the time, the initial publishing number of copies included around 500 books for a new aspiring author, and approximately 800-1000 for an established author, on the first run of the print.
Jane Austen’s name never appeared in her books. Because of her tremendous success from “Sense and sensibility”, all of her novels published after this one had as the author: “By the author of Sense and sensibility”, which remained unchanged during her lifetime.
In 1813 Egerton published: “Pride and prejudice”, to which Austen sold her copyright for 110£ (which is a bit less than what she made on the commission of “Sense and sensibility”). The publisher used cheaper paper and advertised massively. This book made an initial profit (on the initial print) 4 times the copyright money paid (This would have been around 50,000 £ in today’s money).
In 1814 “Mansfield Park” was published by Egerton, and because it was very popular with the readers, in 6 months, the first printing runs sold out. At this point, her books started to be translated into French and sold there as pirated copies (therefore no royalties).
In 1815 Austen changed her publisher from Egerton to the more famous John Murray, but her books did not sell well. The same year (1815), she published: “Emma”, and in July 1816, she completed her first draft on: “The Elliots” that would be later named: “Persuasion”.
From 1816 her health started to deteriorate rapidly, and some literary analysts see the cause/disease as the Addison disease others interpreted the known symptoms as Hodgkin lymphoma. In July 1817, she died in Winchester, at only 41.
Four years after her death, in 1821, the book: “Persuasion” was published in France, in which the author was now: Jane Austen.
James Fenimore Cooper (1789–1851)
JF Cooper was born as the 11th of the 12 children of the family. His family moved soon after his birth to New York, as his father just got elected to the US Congress.
At the age of 13, he was admitted to Yale University, but he was expelled because of the constant pranks he played. As such, at the age of 17, he obtained a job as a sailor. And by 1811, he already increased in ranks, becoming a midshipman. In the same year, he married Susan de Lancey. The couple had seven children, one of which: Paul Fenimore Cooper became a lawyer and perpetuated the family’s lineage till current years. As a marine man, he went to the United Kingdom and the Spanish coast.
In 1820 he wrote his first novel: “Precaution”. The second novel: “The spy”, became the first bestseller of a US writer that required multiple re-prints. In 1823 he published: “The Pioneers”, and in 1826 he published his most famous of his works: “The Last of the Mohicans”, this became one of the most read novels of the whole 19th century. After living from 1822 to 1826 in New York, he moved along with his family in Europe. One of his books: “The prairie”, gets published in Paris. And in 1833, he returns to the United States. In 1839 he published one of the significant non-fiction works of US: “History of the Navy of the United States of America”.
With increasing publishing technologies improvements, he writes and publishes many more books than the previous decades would have allowed.
Not even 62, he dies in 1851 in New York.
Mary Shelley (1797–1851)
Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin was born in London, 1797. Both her parents were philosophers and writers. After her mother died soon after her birth, her father William Godwin re-married and, together with his new wife: Mary Clairmont, founded a publishing firm: M.J. Godwin that was also involved in stationery commerce and children’s books. By 1809 because of rolling over debt, they were reaching bankruptcy.
She received little formal education. And in 1812, she was sent to live in Dundee, Scotland. In her travels to Scotland, she met Percy Bysshe Shelley, which was financially well established. Still, after several visits to Godwin’s family, he refused to pay off the family debt and William Godwin felt betrayed. Although Percy was not anymore well received at the family home, Mary and Percy started to meet in secret. In 1814 this transformed into a real love / romantic relationship, although Percy was married already at the time. Wishing to escape this, they left England for France.
Because of this escapade, both were now without any money. Living in France, Percy would often leave the household for several days in a row to escape the debtors, while Mary Godwin was increasingly depressed, waiting for her lover at home, pregnant. Trying to escape the complicated situation, Percy implied at some point that Mary would become involved in a relationship with his friend: Hogg, but to which Mary did not go any further than mere flirts. She gave birth to a premature baby that died soon after birth. Percy’s grandfather died, and as such, Percy managed to rehabilitate his finances slightly.
Accompanied by Lord Byron, they travelled to Geneva in 1816 and were burnt by the desire to pursue their writing career. They each attempted to write a ghost story. Under the pressure of her companions, Mary wrote the story that was going to be published in 1818, under the title of: “Frankenstein; or The Modern Prometheus”. In March 1818 by in fear of imprisonments by debtors, the couple fled once more for Italy.
The birth of her 4th child in 1819 gave her some comfort. But the memory of her first baby would still follow her all her life. In 1822 near the coast of Livorno, Percy died in a boat accident. Percy’s family inherited most of Percy’s fortune, and Shelly lived on a yearly allowance that kept her just a bit above the poverty level.
From 1827 till 1840, she worked as an editor on the side of her being an author. During this period, she continued to write: “The fortunes of Perkin Warbeck – 1830”, “Lodore” (1835) and “Falkner” (1837). In 1830 she sold the copyright to the novel: “Frankenstein” for only 60£ (less than 1,000 £ in today’s money).
The last of her years were filled with blackmailers threatening to reveal some secret letters between her and Lord Byron or her and Percy’s private correspondence, on top of which her health was also declining.
Mary Shelley passed away in 1851 at Chester square.
Honore de Balzac (1799-1850)
Honore de Balzac was born in Tours 1799 in an ambitious family striving to reach high status through hard work. His father arrived in Paris in 1760 with just pocket money, and by 1776 he was already Secretary to the King’s council and a freemason, changing his surname from Balsa to Balzac, and his son adding the honourable “de” title to it. The age gap between his parents,18 and fifty at the time of the marriage, came to show that she was marrying into wealth rather than love. At the time of Balzac’s infancy letting your child with a wet nurse for the first part of their life and then treating them with a more cold relation was quite common. This distant relationship with his parents, in which Balzac grew up, came to influence his later life.
From 1809 till 1816, he was sent to Vendome, where he studied at an Oratorian grammar school. Because of his father’s uncompromising attitude, Balzac grew with less pocket money than his colleagues, which turned him into an often rule-breaker, frequently being sent to the punishment cell reserved for disobedient pupils. The scenes that he lived there were often incorporated into his novels; one example is: “Comedie Humaine.” Besides him being a naughty child, he was an avid learner, and he would read vast amounts of literature, devouring any type and genre as long as this increased his intellect. For the last two years of this period: 1814-1816, he studied with private tutors, and this part of his life caused him so much distress that he actually contemplated suicide.
At the age of seventeen, he went to study at the Sorbonne: philosophy, literature and history. And persuaded by his father, he went on to pursue a career in law, which he feared would turn him into cynical, so much so that in 1819 he went out of the legal profession. Because of this decision, his father-son relationship deteriorated even farther beyond the term distant could describe. He was allowed to stay in Paris on just a measly allowance.
This separation had its advantages, allowing his creativity to turn towards the literary arts, and in 1820 he completed a 5-act tragedy: “Cromwell”. Although the family did not appreciate Balzac’s talent, an entrepreneur named Le Poitevin convinced him to write short stories that he would sell to publishers, which turned into an increased author career pursue. In 1826 he already had nine novels under different pen-names.
In this time, he also wrote in support of the Jesuits, as Balzac was an admirer of the Catholic church and faith, this is shown even in the preface of the: “Comedie Humaine”: “Christianity, above all, Catholicism being… a complete system for the repression of the depraved tendencies of man.”
He tried to pursue a publisher career, but his first choice, the attempt to publish Moliere’s work, failed, as these stories were not widely desired. Although he borrowed more money from his family to perform an influx of investment, he failed in this business venture.
In 1832 his idea to write multiple works, in a series, about the various aspects of society, which would eventually become: “La Comedie Humaine” came about. Balzac grabbed inspiration from everything he saw, and staying at the Pommereul family, he came about the ideas for his love novel: “Les Chouans” (1829). In 1830 he wrote: “El Verdugo” this overlapped with his father death. The plot of this novel included the father of the central character, death. “El Verdugo” was the first book published under his real name and not a chosen pen name.
The July revolution of 1830 found Balzac advertising for both combating parties to see an agreement in the middle, which would promote a suitable candidate. He was basically describing himself as a moderate, erudite person. However, in 1832 he cracked his head on the street after a severe fall, which turned his desire for a political career to a sudden stop.
In 1832, he started corresponding to “The foreigner”, a person who sent him an anonymous letter from Odessa. Top topics of discussions would include the faulty image that portrays a woman in general. This view intrigued Balzac, who pursued this correspondence, and as such, he began a long (fifteen years) correspondence with Ewelina Hanska. The correspondence between Balzac and Ewelina reveals a connection of principles and ideas. She was a married woman, but not for love, for financial reasons, with a much older and wealthy polish landowner living near Kyiv.
1833 saw the release of: “Eugenie Grandet”, which was soon to become his best-seller.
Two years later came with another work of exquisite literature: “La Pere Goriot”, published in 1835, which soon became another success novel.
Balzac is renowned for having peculiar writing habits: like writing in the very early hours of the morning, sometimes starting even from 1 a.m., reaching the sunrise behind his pen and paper. He could write on a quill to speeds that could get even a word per 2 seconds.
In 1834 he had a daughter with Maria Du Fresnay after an illicit affair.
After Ewelina’s husband died in 1841, Balzac saw the opportunity to compete for the hand of his kindred spirit, which was also desired by the Hungarian composer: Franz Liszt. Ewelina refused the last, deeply in love with Balzac’s thought and ideology that attracted her more. In 1843 Balzac visited countess Hanska in St. Petersburg. But a series of events tried to stop the wedding between the two. Some of them even included the fact that the countess could lose all of her inherited money if she married Balzac. Some initial stops even went as far as involving Tsar Nicholas I of Russia.
Eventually, in 1850 Balzac managed to marry Ewelina, but he died five months later in August 1850, on the same day he was visited by Victor Hugo, that wrote his eulogy.
At the time of his death, Balzac intended to include even more books in the “Comedie Humaine”, many of which he did not even write down yet, remaining trapped into his imagination.
Balzac also influenced the new literary style that will develop into literary realism by how detailed he depicts his characters' lives. He also described some of the characters past much more complicated than ever attempted before.
This retrospection of the characters past, new tools for writers, Marcel Proust, termed "retrospective illumination."
Nihil sine Deo
