SOCIETY

While the Thomas Lovell Beddoes Society is no longer an active organization, under the direction of its chairman, John Lovell Beddoes, important strides were made in advancing the knowledge and appreciation of Thomas Lovell Beddoes.

The Society’s aims were:

• To research Beddoes’s life, times and work
• To encourage relevant publications
• To further the reading and appreciation of his works by a wider public
• To produce one Journal issue a year
• To liaise with other groups and organizations
• To plan events to further the aims

Meeting minutes

John Lovell Beddoes has prepared this partial catalog of materials in his private collection.

The Thomas Lovell Beddoes Society produced a number of publications.

NEWSLETTER

The last two issues of the Society’s newsletter are online:

Earlier newsletter issues:

VOLUME 12 (2006): Poem by Anastasiya Austin / “William Weir, Thomas James Arnold, Thomas Lovell Beddoes and the Attribution of Articles in the Wellesley Index and the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography” by Essaka Joshua and Eleoma Joshua / “The ‘deserted home’ of the Psyche: Madness and the Medical Subject of Romantic Science in Thomas Lovell Beddoes’s The Brides’ Tragedy” by David M. Baulch / “When BBC Radio 4 Came to Belper, Derbyshire” by Annette Eley / and more…

VOLUME 11 (2005): Poem by Frederick Burwick / “Thomas Lovell Beddoes and William John Hamilton” by Essaka Joshua / “‘That wolf-howled, witch-prayed, owl-sung fool’: Beddoes and the Play of Words” by Greg Crossan / Hugh Parry’s review of The Novels and Selected Works of Maria Edgeworth / and more…

VOLUME 10 (2004): Poem by Richard Geyer / “Composing Music for Death’s Jest-Book” by Brian Holmes / Jestbook digest / “Death’s Fool: Beddoes and Büchner” by Frederick Burwick / Hugh Parry’s review of Jerome McGann’s acting version of Death’s Jest-Book / and more…

VOLUME 9 (2003): A reprint from Eleanor Wilner and an article by Peter C. Douglas / A story by Samantha Weinberg / “Mary Beddoes 1808-1833” by Judith Higgens / Poems by Janice Lee Clark and Richard Geyer / and more…

VOLUME 8 (2002): “Beddoesian Link to the German ‘Wonder’ Tales of J.K.A. Musaeus” by Christine Hankinson / Reprints from Duncan Wu, Rob Hardin, James Armstrong and Jean Field / “Melveric and Wolfram: A Love Story” by Shelley Rees / and more…

VOLUME 7 (2001): Two Beddoes poems by Robert Kelly / Thomas Lovell Beddoes on the World Wide Web: An Investigation by Shelley Rees / Two reviews by Robin Waterfield / Michael Bradshaw reviews Romance, Poetry, and Surgical Sleep / Christopher Moylan reviews Michael Bradshaw’s Resurrection Songs / “Beddoes’s Letters” by Greg Crossan / and more…

VOLUME 6 (2000): “Resurrecting Beddoes” by Dr. John H. Baker / Harriet Richardson addresses the Society at Charterhouse / Michael Bradshaw’s review of Selected Poems of Thomas Hood, Winthrop Mackworth Praed and Thomas Lovell Beddoes / Five Beddoes articles reviewed by Paul Morgan / Ted Rasey’s review of Alan Halsey and Geraldine Monk’s audiocassette, Songs from Death’s Jest-Book and Other Poems / Viola Reade’s article on the “unknown” Edgeworths / and more…

VOLUME 5 (1999): Society website / “Very Liberal for a Woman: A Note on Zoë King” by Judith Higgens / “Thomas Lovell Beddoes and his ‘Demi-Uncle’ John King” by Muriel Maby / Ted Rasey’s review of Lives of the Poets / Viola Reade’s article on Richard Edgeworth / “Beddoes and Chronology” by Ezra Pound / and more…

VOLUME 4 (1998): Beddoes family tree and photographs / Detailed catalogue of Beddoes papers/memorabilia in Bodleian Library / Reviews of recent special interest publications / Accounts of Oxford AGM & March meeting in Chatsworth Library / Articles by Alan Halsey, Michael Bradshaw and Brian Hollingworth / and more…

VOLUME 3 (1997): Poem by Christopher Moylan (New York Institute of Technology) inspired by his study and appreciation of TLB / The Edgeworth Trail and TLB connection explored by Dorothy Clarkson / The Bodleian Beddoes collection surveyed by John Beddoes / Search and research on the Bristol connection — on location! / Scholarly insights into Death’s Jest-Book by Alan Halsey and Michael Bradshaw / and more…

VOLUME 2 (1996): Cave Voices — Patrick Leigh Fermor’s wartime reminiscences which brought about information on TLB, Dr. Beddoes and the Edgeworth connection / The mystery of the “Browning Box,” containing TLB documents and missing for about 100 years / “Write It in Gold” — Beddoes’ poetic tribute to Shelley / a Michael Bradshaw article on the inspiration and shape of Beddoes’ poetry / a Roy Porter article on Dr. Beddoes and his influence on his son / and more…

VOLUME 1 (1995): A backward glance by Judith Higgens at her involvement with the 1976 Carcanet Edition of Beddoes’ works / Laughing Gas reviewed: a Radio 4 play about Dr. Beddoes and his associates involved in experiments and research in Bristol / Paul Morgan explores the mystery surrounding TLB’s death / A Michael Bradshaw article: “Will the Real Beddoes Please Stand up?” / Music and words to “Dream-Pedlary” / and more…

PAMPHLETS

HOMAGE TO HOMUNCULUS MANDRAKE BY ALAN HALSEY

Commentators on Death’s Jest-Book have generally regarded Homunculus Mandrake as a simple clown, the focus of a comic subplot which adds entertainment to a grim play. In this essay Alan Halsey looks at the possibility that Beddoes intended Mandrake to be seen as a genuine homunculus — even, perhaps, the ‘artificial man’ Paracelsus claimed he had created. He goes on to explore other Paracelsian aspects of the play, arguing that the structure of Death’s Jest-Book is modelled on the ‘as above so below’ formula of medieval alchemy and relating its themes to Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus and Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Homage to Homunculus Mandrake offers, as the subtitle claims, a new reading of Death’s Jest-Book. (1996) 28 pp.

SCATTERED LIMBS: THE MAKING AND UNMAKING OF DEATH’S JEST-BOOK BY MICHAEL BRADSHAW

Thomas Lovell Beddoes (1803-1849) is surely the most unjustly neglected poet of the English Romantic period. His powerful blank verse and finely balanced lyrics, and his characteristic macabre humour make him a troubled and challenging successor to Byron, Shelley and Keats. Yet there are certain formal and generic problems in Beddoes’s writings that have continued to marginalise him as merely an eccentric. His pastiche Elizabethan tragedy Death’s Jest-Book is especially problematic: sprawling to an even greater length than Hamlet, and yet scattering itself also into many small fragments… the Jest-Book was the text Beddoes could not finish, the black whole which swallowed up new writings in a never-ending process of revision. In this study Michael Bradshaw attempts to offer a new approach to reading the Jest-Book in the light of recent theoretical work on fragmentary texts. Scattered Limbs relates the formal question of fragmentation to the drama’s occult subject matter, and argues that in his greatest work Beddoes developed a special poetic language to pour scorn on his search for human immortality, in doing so changing the nature of closure and the idea of an ending. The dismemberment of Death’s Jest-Book is also its new life. (1996) 45 pp.

A SKELETON KEY TO DEATH’S JEST-BOOK BY ALAN HALSEY

Thomas Lovell Beddoes began writing Death’s Jest-Book, a tragedy in five acts, in 1825. A draft was completed by 1829 but Beddoes was discouraged by the criticism of his friends Kelsall and Procter and abandoned plans for publication. During the 1830s, however, he attempted major revisions of the play and continued to make further additions to it in the 1840s. It was published posthumously in 1850 and a variorum text was prepared by H.W. Donner for his edition of The Works in 1935. The play is undoubtedly Beddoes’ masterpiece. In this study Alan Halsey sets Death’s Jest-Book in the context of Beddoes’ life and thought, exploring the themes of late Romanticism and the attempt to revive the English drama. Alan Halsey’s other books include Five Years Out (Galloping Dog Press 1989) and The Text of Shelley’s Death (Five Seasons 1995). (1995) 40 pp.

DEATH’S JEST-BOOK: A STAGE VERSION BY JEROME MCGANN

Jerome McGann (John Stewart Bryan University Professor, University of Virginia) relies on the 1829 version of the play in creating this adaptation intended for stage performance. He keeps closely to the original text but makes two important changes, omitting the subplot involving the rivalry of Adalmar and Athulf for Amala, and replacing Isbrand with Beddoes himself. (2003) 56 pp.

T.L. BEDDOES AND THE HERMETIC TRADITION BY CHRISTOPHER MOYLAN (1999) 30 pp.

SOCIETY PHOTO GALLERY:

1. Rodney Place, AGM, 1996

Left to right: John Beddoes, Rachel Eley, Christa Glur, Paul Morgan, Magda Rasey, Ted Rasey and Alan Halsey.

2.  Pembroke College, AGM, 1997

Left to right: Rachel Eley, Ted Rasey, Magda Rasey, Jack Beddoes, Graham Beddoes, Diana Beddoes, Shirley Beddoes, William Stancomb, Judith Higgens, John Beddoes, Viola Read, Dorothy Clarkson and Mike Bradshaw.

3.  Charterhouse, AGM, 1999

Left to right: Jack Beddoes, Diana Beddoes, Magda Rasey, John Beddoes, Dorothy Clarkson, Ted Rasey, Viola Read, Judith Higgens and Another.

4.  Hopesay Farm, AGM, 1995

Left to right: John Beddoes, Martin Whitworth, Alan Halsey, Thelma Thompson, Sandra Barrett, Paul Morgan, Ted Rasey, Mike Barrett, Magda Rasey and Annette Eley.

5.  Dowry Square, AGM, 1996

Left to right: Jack Beddoes, Diana Beddoes, William Stancomb, Annette Eley, Ted Rasey, Christa Glur, Alan Halsey, Judith Higgens, Mike Bradshaw, Magda Rasey, Shirley Beddoes, Mike Barrett, John Beddoes, Sandra Barrett, Paul Morgan, Graham Beddoes and Rachel Eley.

6.  Beddoes Panel, NASSR, New York, 2003

Left to right: Mike Bradshaw, Fred Burwick, Ute Berns, Brian Holmes, David Baulch, Alan Vardy, Nat Leach, Shelley Rees and Chris Moylan.

7.  Beddoes Society committee meeting (Chatsworth’s House, 1998).

Left to right: Diana Beddoes, Jack Beddoes, Magda Rasey, John Beddoes, William Stancombe and Judith Higgens.

8.  9 Amber Court, Belper, April 3rd 2006, Committee Meeting and Radio 4 BBC recording of broadcast.

Left to right: Geraldine Monk, Christine Hankinson, Magda Rasey, Ted Rasey, Graham Beddoes, Hugh Parry, Viola Read, Judith Palmer (BBC), Christine Hall (BBC), Shirley Beddoes, Margaret Wakefield, Alan Halsey and John Beddoes.

9.  Hay on Wye, AGM, 2001.

Left to right: John Beddoes, Rachel Eley, Paul Morgan, Diana Beddoes, Magda Rasey, Ted Rasey and Jack Beddoes.

10.  Cheney Longville Castle, AGM, 2000.

Left to right: Bill Stancombe, Shelley Rees, Ted Rasey, Magda Rasey, Rachel Eley, Judith Higgens, Christine Hankinson, Annette Eley and John Beddoes.