Andrew Lang: Writer, Folklorist, Democratic Intellect

Andrew Lang was a prolific writer and scholar who challenged the specialism of modernity and science. He authored rigorous works in social anthropology, folklore, Homeric studies, history, and religion, while also producing novels, poems, and columns of prose journalism. Chesterton compared him to a kind of Indian god with a hundred hands, highlighting his double existence as a scholar and journalist, his cross-disciplinary approach to learning and writing, and the controversies he courted to advance knowledge in the human sciences. The book also sheds new light on Lang's personal life, including his grandfather's notorious role in the Sutherland Clearances, his early Scottish education, and his friendships with fellow writers.

Format: Hardback
Length: 304 pages
Publication date: 29 June 2023
Publisher: Oxford University Press

In a remarkable literary career spanning the late 19th century, Andrew Lang emerged as a formidable challenger to the growing specialization that accompanied the progress of modernity and science. He authored an extraordinary body of rigorous, scholarly works in diverse fields such as social anthropology, folklore, Homeric studies, history, and religion, while also producing novels, poems for periodicals, and an endless stream of prose journalism to earn a livelihood. Widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the world of letters and reviewers of his time, Lang's impact extended far beyond his literary endeavors. He was a founding member and later President of the Folklore Society, where he and his wife played a significant role in shaping the taste in children's literature with their anthologized fairy stories for young readers.

G. K. Chesterton, in a tribute upon Lang's passing in 1912, paid homage to the vast and diverse legacy he left behind for the humanities. Comparing Lang to a kind of Indian god with a hundred hands, Chesterton acknowledged the extraordinary scope and depth of his contributions. This first full biography of Lang delves into the intricacies of his dual existence as a scholar and journalist, exploring the intellectual impact of his cross-disciplinary approach to learning and writing. It also sheds light on the critical controversies he courted as a writer and thinker to advance knowledge in the human sciences.

The book uncovers new insights into Lang's personal life, revealing the uncomfortable legacy of his grandfather's involvement in the Sutherland Clearances earlier in the century, the enduring influence of his early Scottish education on his generalist traditions of learning, and his close friendships with fellow writers, including Robert Louis Stevenson, Henry James, Rider Haggard, Edmund Gosse, Rhoda Broughton, and William Henley. The result is a fascinating and comprehensive account of Lang's life and work, offering a deeper understanding of his contributions to literature, anthropology, and the human sciences.

Weight: 590g
Dimension: 162 x 243 x 22 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780192866875