This is a book about a prominent Victorian family of writers in Englandthe Bensons. The cast of characters includes Edward White Benson, the archbishop of Canterbury (1883-1896); his wife, the lesbian writer Mary Sidgwick Benson, to whom he proposed marriage when she was only twelve; and their six children, none of whom, Goldhill says, ever had heterosexual intercourse, as far as we can tell; certainly none of them ever married. Apart from two children who died young, the rest grew up to become prominent writers or go ...
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This is a book about a prominent Victorian family of writers in Englandthe Bensons. The cast of characters includes Edward White Benson, the archbishop of Canterbury (1883-1896); his wife, the lesbian writer Mary Sidgwick Benson, to whom he proposed marriage when she was only twelve; and their six children, none of whom, Goldhill says, ever had heterosexual intercourse, as far as we can tell; certainly none of them ever married. Apart from two children who died young, the rest grew up to become prominent writers or go nutsor both. Every one of them was high-strung, precocious, rebellious, and quirky. The most famous of the siblings was Fred Benson, who was openly gay and a competitive figure skater and who wrote a line of successful comic novels that was eventually made into the BBC TV series Mapp and Lucia in the 1980s. But Goldhill is skeptical of the veracity of standard biographical narrative. So he lets the family tell their own story as much as he can: after all, together they wrote more than 200 books, many intended to present a public picture of the famous family. More importantly, they wrote many thousands of intimate letters among themselves, and they obsessively corrected oversights and lies in the books through hand-written marginalia in family copies. Goldhill stresses how this family of graphomaniacs constantly used their writing to tell and retell the stories of their lives, to themselves, to each other and to a broader public. "
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Seller's Description:
Good-Bumped and creased book with tears to the extremities, but not affecting the text block, may have remainder mark or previous owner's name-GOOD Standard-sized.
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Seller's Description:
Good-Bumped and creased book with tears to the extremities, but not affecting the text block, may have remainder mark or previous owner's name-GOOD Standard-sized.
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As New in As New jacket. 8vo-over 7¾-9¾" tall. 2nd Printing. This is a New and Unread copy of the first edition (2nd printing) in a New dust jacket. Some photographs. Index. Bibliography.
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Fine in Fine jacket. Size: 8vo 8"-9" tall; Sturdy, attractive, tightly bound in hardcover format, generally clean, minimal rubbing to extremities, clean interior but for previous owner's inscription. Bright and shiny dust jacket, illustrated, little worn. From the publisher's blurb, "We can begin with a kiss, though this will not turn out to be a love story, at least not a love story of anything like the usual kind." So begins A Very Queer Family Indeed, which introduces us to the extraordinary Benson family. Edward White Benson became Archbishop of Canterbury at the height of Queen Victoria's reign, while his wife, Mary, was renowned for her wit and charm-the prime minister once wondered whether she was 'the cleverest woman in England or in Europe. The couple's six precocious children included E. F. Benson, celebrated creator of the Mapp and Lucia novels, and Margaret Benson, the first published female Egyptologist." Volume contains scholarly apparatus in the form of, e.g., notes, index, and bibliography. Frontis matter, 337 pp. Member, I.O.B.A., C.B.A., and adherent to the highest ethical standards. Additional postage may be required for oversize or especially heavy volumes, and for sets.
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Fine. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 344 p. Contains: Unspecified. In Stock. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Brand New, Perfect Condition, allow 4-14 business days for standard shipping. To Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. protectorate, P.O. box, and APO/FPO addresses allow 4-28 business days for Standard shipping. No expedited shipping. All orders placed with expedited shipping will be cancelled. Over 3, 000, 000 happy customers.
