Selected Letters of Vernon Lee, 1856–1935: 1890-1896

Violet Paget-Vernon Lee was a prolific author known for her supernatural fiction and radical polemics. This multi-volume scholarly edition presents a comprehensive selection of her English, French, Italian, and German correspondence, compiled from more than 30 archives worldwide. Letters written in a language other than English have been expertly translated by scholars. The letters cover the years 1890-1896, and reflect Lee's interests in medicine, nursing, psychology, and politics. She sponsors her friends' convalescent home and nursing training, attends the Psychological Congress in Paris, and publishes "Beauty and Ugliness" with her partner Clementina Anstruther-Thomson. Lee's correspondents include her parents, half-brother, and many well-known figures in fin de siècle intellectual circles across Europe.

Format: Hardback
Length: 410 pages
Publication date: 22 December 2023
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Violet Paget, a renowned author known for her supernatural fiction and radical polemics, assumed the name Vernon Lee (1856–1935). She was an active letter writer, with correspondents from prominent figures in fin de siècle European intellectual circles. This extensive scholarly edition presents a comprehensive collection of her English, French, Italian, and German correspondence, sourced from over 30 archives worldwide. Spanning multiple volumes, it showcases her diverse interests and occupations as a Woman of Letters, philosopher, psychologist, and political activist. Expert translations by scholars Sophie Geoffroy (from French), Crystal Hall (from Italian), and Christa Zorn (from German) ensure the accessibility of letters written in languages other than English. With full transcriptions of approximately 2000 letters arranged chronologically, accompanied by introductions, biographical notes, and extensive footnotes, this edition provides valuable insights into Violet Paget-Vernon Lee's life and the social and intellectual context of late 19th-century Europe.

In this third volume, spanning the years 1890–1896, the 429 assembled letters trace Violet Paget-Vernon Lee's journey from her early thirties, when she resided with her parents and half-brother, the poet and invalid Eugene Lee-Hamilton, at Villa Il Palmerino (Florence), to her late forties, when both her parents passed away and her brother recovered from his illness and decided to leave home.

As Lee navigates Eugenes invalidism and her own physical and psychological challenges, we gain a glimpse into the practices and teachings of medicine and nursing in Europe during the late 1890s. Lee sponsors her friend Amy Turtons convalescent home and nurses training, emphasizing the prominence of mental sciences at the time. Experimental psychology, psychiatry, neurology, and neurophysiology are all explored, with a particular focus on August 1, 1896, when Vernon Lee attended the International Congress of Neurological Sciences in Paris.

Through her letters, Violet Paget-Vernon Lee offers a unique perspective on the lives of women, medicine, and the intellectual currents of her era. This multi-volume scholarly edition is a valuable resource for scholars, researchers, and enthusiasts of late 19th-century literature, history, and women's studies.

Weight: 1090g
Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781848934979