Famous Affinities of History: The Romance of Devotion. Volume 4

In Short

This collection of biographical essays examines the intersection of genius and domestic life. Focusing on figures like Jonathan Swift, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Thomas Carlyle, and Victor Hugo, the work delves into their complex, often tragic, romantic entanglements. It avoids simple hagiography, instead scrutinizing how these men navigated marriage, obsession, and the unconventional women who stood at their side. By grounding its observations in letters and historical record, the writing serves as a somber meditation on the cost of artistic greatness and the often-fraught nature of personal legacy.

The Story

The narrative begins by examining the enigmatic life of Jonathan Swift, whose legacy is defined not just by his biting satire, but by the two women, Stella and Vanessa, who orbited his existence. The account follows his path from his early days in Ireland to his rise in London, illustrating a man of intense pride and reserve. His life becomes a "tragic comedy" as he maintains a distant, complicated bond with Stella while simultaneously fostering an intense, secret correspondence with the ardent Vanessa. The resolution is stark: when the truth of his life is laid bare, his cruelty leads to a devastating end for Vanessa, who dies of a broken heart, leaving Swift to a lonely, lingering bitterness.

From the weight of Swift, the focus shifts to the mercurial Percy Bysshe Shelley. We witness a youth defined by rebellion against authority and a restless, unsatisfied longing. His life is marked by the tragic failure of his first marriage to Harriet—a union hampered by immaturity and external interference—and his subsequent discovery of Mary Godwin. The arc follows his movement from a restless, searching boy into a man who finds his intellectual match in Mary, yet remains haunted by the instability of his earlier life.

The collection then turns to the "Scottish grimness" of Thomas Carlyle and his wife, Jane Welsh. Their story is one of profound intellectual partnership strained by poverty and temperament. Living in the isolation of Craigenputtock, they navigate a marriage characterized by mutual exhaustion, sharp words, and shared struggle. Their move to London brings fame for Carlyle, but the narrative does not gloss over the fundamental mismatch in their temperaments, portraying their life as a collision of genius and profound domestic friction.

Finally, the narrative addresses the towering, often arrogant, figure of Victor Hugo, whose sense of self-importance dictated his every interaction, from his literary feuds to his refusal to acknowledge any equal. His story is intertwined with the betrayal by Sainte-Beuve, whose intrusions into the sanctity of Hugo’s marriage leave a permanent scar. This section concludes by examining the lives of others, such as George Sand and Charles Reade, who similarly defied social norms to find their own versions of companionship. The overall arc is one of disillusionment; the romantic ideal is consistently eroded by the realities of pride, professional ambition, and the harsh limitations of the human ego.

How It Unfolds

The enigma of genius The narrative introduces the central paradox of the great writer: a man whose public work achieves immortality while his private life remains a locked room of contradictions. It sets the stage by questioning whether these famous attachments stem from psychological necessity or deep-seated character flaws.

The weight of impossible standards Each subject grapples with the tension between their public persona and their internal longings. Whether through Shelley’s search for an intellectual soulmate or Hugo’s insistence on his own singular greatness, the narrative highlights the friction between the ideal and the reality.

The collision with reality The plot moves toward the inevitable breakdown of domestic peace, as the demands of professional ambition clash with the needs of partners. These moments of crisis—such as Swift’s callous rejection or Carlyle’s neglect—serve as the turning points for each figure.

The legacy of the personal The final beats reflect on how these figures left behind more than just books. They left behind the "slimy trace" of scandal, the pain of abandoned partners, and the enduring questions about whether a great artist can ever truly be a good companion.

The People

Jonathan Swift is the archetype of the unreachable genius, a man whose "repellent taciturnity" masks a deep inability to reconcile his need for companionship with his desire for absolute independence. His pride acts as the primary barrier to the women who love him, ultimately turning his personal life into a site of emotional destruction.

Percy Bysshe Shelley is defined by his "restless, unsatisfied longing," a man who drifts through commitments with an intellectual fervor that consistently outweighs his concern for the people around him. He seeks, and eventually finds, a partner in Mary Godwin, yet his journey is marked by a series of mistakes and a lack of empathy for his first wife, Harriet.

Thomas Carlyle represents the marriage of intellect and misery, a man whose "unbounded confidence" in his own mission leaves little room for the needs of his wife, Jane Welsh. He is a giant in his own mind, capable of great literature but frequently incapable of recognizing the "high spirit and physical weakness" of his partner.

Victor Hugo emerges as the most arrogant of the subjects, a man whose belief in his own superiority—"I am Victor Hugo"—leads him to reject the standards of conventional morality. His sense of self is so vast that it permits him to discard the sanctity of his marriage when faced with outside interference, effectively releasing him from the "strict obligations" he once held.

In Its Own Voice

Describing the public perception of the author of Gulliver's Travels:

Swift held his tongue with a repellent taciturnity.

Reflecting on the intensity of the love felt by those drawn to such complex men:

To love, and to be loved! It is happiness! It is heaven!

Regarding the heavy, ego-driven nature of Victor Hugo's public and private life:

It is so, because I call it so!

What It's Really About

At its core, the book argues that artistic genius is rarely a benign force in the domestic sphere. It explores the question of whether the same qualities that allow for greatness—such as obstinacy, intense focus, and a sense of being "exalted above other mortals"—are inherently corrosive to the bonds of love and friendship. The text suggests that the lives of these men were not merely influenced by their relationships, but were often defined by their inability to prioritize their partners over their own intellectual and public ambitions. It is an argument for the inherent selfishness of the creative life, suggesting that the "romance of devotion" is frequently a one-sided struggle for the women who anchor these restless, driven men.

Why Read It Today

Readers who enjoy literary history will find a treasure trove of insight here, though they should be prepared for the author's mid-century sensibilities. The tone is often judgmental by modern standards, particularly in how it critiques the women involved in these sagas, and the prose is dense with the formal, moralizing cadences of the early 20th century. However, the value lies in the author's willingness to look past the pedestal of fame to examine the "sour, supercilious" reality of these legends.

Reading this feels like leafing through a well-worn collection of cautionary tales. You will encounter men who are often insufferable, yet undeniably brilliant, and women whose lives are treated with varying degrees of empathy. It is not an easy read; the length of the accounts and the occasional flash of period-specific bias require a patient reader. Yet, for those interested in the psychological undercurrents of the Victorian and Romantic eras, it offers a fascinating, albeit sobering, look at the human cost of literary immortality. You will likely walk away struck by the realization that even the most "immortal" works were often born from the suffering of those standing in the author's shadow.