Literary criticism is not everyone's cup of green tea, but this book is essential for anyone who loves the works of Sheridan Le Fanu. The bulk of the text consists of three introductions Jim Rockhill wrote for 1990s Ash-Three collections, now long out of print. Rockhill has updated what are very substantial essays, and added some extra matter pertaining to the author and his life.
And what a life it was. The first essay, 'As On a Darkling Plain' covers the period 1814- 1861. On the face of it this seems a little odd, as Le Fanu died in 1873. But, as I read on, I came to realise that before the 1860s the author had occupied himself with a wide range of activities, of which writing was just one. Politics, the law, and family life all demanded his time and effort. He married, fathered four children, then in 1858 suffered the terrible blow of his wife's death. It was only then that Le Fanu took to writing full-time to pay off debts and provide for his offspring.
Overall, the first essay is a good biographical piece and sets Le Fanu firmly in the context of a troubled society. The descendant of Protestant immigrants, Le Fanu was part of a privileged elite but also felt his position to be precarious. He flirted with nationalism and wrote sympathetically of the native Irish. But after the turbulence of the 1840s he retreated from the 'Young Ireland' movement that had attempted a full-on uprising.
This second phase is covered in 'A Mind Turned in Upon Itself', which covers the period of frenetic activity that led to the production of most of Le Fanu's novels. While he is deservedly better known for his short fiction, Le Fanu's three-decker books are often rewarding. I was not surprised to find that he based them on earlier stories that he expanded upon at great length. The result is, for me, a very pleasant kind of ramble through the imagination of a remarkable man.
One significant change in Le Fanu's approach was forced upon him by financial needs. He owned the Dublin University Magazine and was therefore in the enviable position of being able to publish his fiction in it. However, the venture proved unprofitable. He found a London publisher who insisted he set his novels and stories in England from then on. I have mixed feelings about this. Le Fanu produced a substantial body of work focusing on Irish folklore with a distinctly Gothic twist.
Thanks to Rockhill's appreciative analysis I now want to re-read 'Ultor de Lacy' and 'The Haunted Baronet', among others. As a novelist, Le Fanu was less successful. The short story was really his medium, as witnessed by the enduring appeal of 'Schalcken the Painter', a relatively early work, as was 'The Watcher' (which he later reworked as 'The Familiar'). Both are near flawless examples of their kind, and if he'd written nothing else they would guarantee Le Fanu more than a footnote in the annals of Gothic fiction.
The final essay, 'Dreams of Shadows and Smoke', deals with Le Fanu's final years and his literary legacy. One thingI still find baffling is Le Fanu's admiration of Swedenborg, the 18th-century Swedish mystic, scientist, and inventor. It is never easy to put oneself into the mind of someone born in a distant era. Swedenborg seems rather absurd to your humble reviewer, but clearly Le Fanu found his writings fascinating and inspiring. I can only give thanks that he did not foreground Swedenborg's ideas but instead let them waft around vaguely in the background of some of his tales. This is especially true of 'Carmilla'. Rockhill offers some keen insights into how the Swedish mystic influenced Le Fanu's depiction of the vampire and her passions.
The book also contains some shorter pieces dealing with a variety of interesting topics, such as Lovecraft's view of Le Fanu - insufficiently cosmic, of course. There's also some detailed scrutiny of stories attributed to the author, sometimes credibly. Some of these essays were a little dense for my taste, but all are rigorous and well written.
A Mind Turned in Upon Itself is an absorbing read, a book to dip into and come back to. It answers dozens of questions you may not have thought to pose about Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu's life and works and offers interesting answers. That for me is the essence of good literary biography.
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