Little Journeys to the Homes of the Great - Volume 13: Little Journeys to the Homes of Great Lovers

In Short

This volume, part of Elbert Hubbard’s “Little Journeys” series, offers biographical sketches of renowned lovers from history and literature, exploring their lives, loves, and legacies. Through vivid narrative and reflective commentary, it reveals the complexities of love as experienced by figures like Robert Louis Stevenson, Mary Wollstonecraft, John Stuart Mill and Harriet Taylor, Dante and Beatrice, and Lord Nelson and Lady Hamilton. The book endures because it combines biography with philosophical insight, showing how love shapes character, creativity, and history. It neither idealizes nor condemns but presents love’s triumphs and tragedies with warmth and nuance, inviting readers to consider love’s enduring power and its many forms.

The Story

The book opens with a tone of gratitude and reflection on the human condition, setting a reverent mood for exploring the lives of great lovers. It moves through a series of portraits, each illuminating a different facet of love—romantic, intellectual, tragic, and transformative.

Robert Louis Stevenson’s story begins with his frail health and unconventional family life, highlighting his marriage to Fanny Osbourne and their shared life marked by artistic pursuit and mutual acceptance. The narrative shows how love can be a source of strength amid adversity and social complexity.

Mary Wollstonecraft’s biography traces her early hardships, intellectual hunger, and determination to rise above societal constraints. Her love and partnership with figures like Lord Kingsborough and her own family struggles reveal love’s role in personal growth and social change.

The volume then explores the intellectual and emotional partnership of John Stuart Mill and Harriet Taylor, emphasizing their shared commitment to equality and truth. Their love is portrayed as a fusion of minds as well as hearts, influencing Mill’s writings on liberty and women’s rights.

Dante’s idealized love for Beatrice is examined as a poetic and spiritual phenomenon, a love that exists more in imagination than reality, yet profoundly shapes art and literature. The book reflects on the nature of such one-sided love as both tragic and inspiring.

The story of Lord Nelson and Lady Hamilton presents a love that saved a nation and a man’s sanity. Their relationship, marked by social scandal and deep devotion, illustrates love’s power to sustain and transform even in the harshest circumstances.

Throughout, the book intersperses reflections on love’s illusions, sacrifices, and the interplay of social forces and personal desires. It concludes by affirming love’s essential role in human life and history, leaving readers with a sense of love’s complexity and its capacity to endure beyond circumstance.

How It Unfolds

Opening reflections on gratitude and human connection — The book begins with a prayerful tone, acknowledging love as a unifying and sustaining force in life. Robert Louis Stevenson’s unconventional family and marriage — Stevenson’s health struggles and his marriage to Fanny Osbourne reveal love’s role in resilience and artistic life. Mary Wollstonecraft’s intellectual hunger and social struggles — Her journey from hardship to intellectual achievement shows love intertwined with personal and social liberation. John Stuart Mill and Harriet Taylor’s intellectual partnership — Their love is a meeting of minds that profoundly influences political and social thought, especially on equality. Dante and Beatrice’s idealized, poetic love — A love more imagined than lived, it explores the power of illusion and artistic creation in love. Lord Nelson and Lady Hamilton’s devoted, scandalous love — Their relationship exemplifies love’s capacity to sustain heroism and personal salvation amid public judgment. Reflections on love’s illusions and enduring power — The book closes by contemplating love’s tragedies and triumphs, emphasizing its essential place in human experience.

The People

Robert Louis Stevenson wants health, creative fulfillment, and family harmony. His frail constitution and social circumstances challenge him, but his marriage to Fanny Osbourne brings mutual support and belonging, transforming his life and work. Fanny Osbourne seeks independence and security for herself and her children. Her separation and divorce from her first husband and her marriage to Stevenson mark a new chapter of emotional and artistic partnership. Mary Wollstonecraft desires education, intellectual freedom, and social respect. Poverty and societal constraints stand in her way, but her determination and love for knowledge propel her to become a pioneering advocate for women’s rights. John Stuart Mill pursues truth, liberty, and equality. His relationship with Harriet Taylor deepens his understanding of women’s social position and inspires his writings, though societal norms and personal loss complicate their union. Harriet Taylor embodies intellectual vigor and moral clarity. Her influence on Mill is profound, shaping his ideas on equality and liberty, though her contributions remain partly unrecognized in her lifetime. Dante Alighieri experiences a love that is spiritual and idealized, embodied in Beatrice. His love is more a poetic muse than a personal relationship, reflecting the power of imagination and artistic devotion. Beatrice remains a distant, almost mythical figure, representing purity and inspiration rather than a fully realized person, highlighting the theme of love as idealization. Lord Nelson is a heroic naval figure whose love for Lady Hamilton sustains him through personal and national trials. His loyalty and courage are intertwined with his passionate relationship. Lady Hamilton is a woman of natural gifts and deep devotion, whose love rescues Nelson from despair and scandal, illustrating love’s redemptive power amid social adversity.

In Its Own Voice

“We thank Thee for this place in which we dwell; for the love that unites us; for the peace accorded us this day; for the hope with which we expect the morrow...”

An opening prayer expressing gratitude for love, peace, and courage.

“Robert Louis did desultory work on newspapers in San Francisco and later at Monterey, with health up and down as hope fluctuated.”

Describing Stevenson’s early struggles before his marriage.

“The person who can not see that sex equality must come before we reach the millennium is too slow in spirit to read this book...”

A candid assertion of the book’s progressive stance on gender equality.

“Love like that of Dante still exists everywhere, and will until the end of time. One-sided loves are classic and know neither age nor place...”

Reflecting on the timeless nature of idealized, unrequited love.

“Nelson knew how to do three great things—how to fight, how to love, how to die.”

A summation of Nelson’s character and the intertwining of love and heroism.

What It's Really About

At its core, this volume explores love as a multifaceted force shaping human lives, creativity, and history. It probes the tension between idealized and practical love, the interplay of passion and intellect, and the social constraints that lovers often confront. The book argues that love is not merely romantic sentiment but a dynamic, sometimes difficult, process involving sacrifice, growth, and transformation.

The portraits reveal love’s power to inspire art and philosophy, as in the case of Dante’s poetic muse or Mill and Taylor’s intellectual partnership. They also show love’s grounding in everyday struggles—Stevenson’s health and family challenges, Wollstonecraft’s fight for education and respect, Nelson and Hamilton’s scandalous devotion amid public scrutiny.

The book challenges simplistic notions of love as either purely joyful or tragic. Instead, it presents love as a complex human experience that includes illusion, disappointment, endurance, and renewal. It highlights how love can be a source of strength and courage, a catalyst for social progress, and a profound spiritual and emotional bond.

Moreover, the book underscores the importance of equality and mutual respect in love, anticipating modern ideas about gender and partnership. It recognizes love’s social context, acknowledging how class, gender roles, and cultural expectations shape relationships.

Ultimately, the volume invites readers to reflect on love’s enduring mysteries and its essential role in the human story, suggesting that love’s true tragedy lies not in unrequited passion but in love that fades or is lost through disillusionment.

Why Read It Today

This book appeals to readers interested in biography, history, and the human dimensions of love beyond cliché. Its warm, reflective tone and rich detail offer a window into the lives of remarkable individuals whose loves shaped their times and their works. The book’s blend of narrative and philosophical insight makes it rewarding for those who appreciate thoughtful exploration of human relationships.

Readers will find the prose occasionally dated and the social attitudes reflective of its early 20th-century origins, including some period assumptions about gender and class. The length and episodic structure may challenge modern readers accustomed to more streamlined narratives. However, the book’s sincerity and depth compensate for these difficulties.

What stays with the reader is the nuanced portrayal of love’s many forms—romantic, intellectual, idealized, and practical—and the recognition that love is inseparable from the complexities of life. The book’s emphasis on equality and mutual respect in love remains relevant, offering a perspective that resonates with contemporary readers.

In sum, this volume is a thoughtful companion for anyone seeking to understand love’s power to shape individuals and history, presented with warmth, precision, and a humane spirit. It invites reflection on how love endures, transforms, and ultimately defines the human experience.