Charlotte Mew
Encyclopedia
Charlotte Mary Mew was an English
poet
, whose work spans the cusp between Victorian
poetry and Modernism
.
She was born in Bloomsbury
, London
the daughter of the architect Frederick Mew, who designed Hampstead
town hall and Anna Kendall. She attended Lucy Harrison's School for Girls and lectures at University College London. Her father died in 1898 without making adequate provision for his family; two of her siblings suffered from mental illness
, and were committed to institutions, and three others died in early childhood leaving Charlotte, her mother and her sister, Anne. Charlotte and Anne made a pact never to marry for fear of passing on insanity to their children. (One author calls Charlotte "chastely lesbian
".) Through most of her adult life, Mew wore masculine attire and kept her hair short, adopting the appearance of a dandy
.
In 1894, Mew succeeded in getting a short story
into The Yellow Book, but wrote very little poetry at this time. Her first collection of poetry, The Farmer's Bride
, was published in 1916, in chapbook
format, by the Poetry Bookshop
; in the USA
, Her second collection was entitled Saturday Market and published in 1921 by Macmillan. It earned her the admiration of Sydney Cockerell
.
Her poems are varied: some of them (such as 'Madeleine in Church') are passionate discussions of faith and the possibility of belief in God
; others are proto-modernist
in form and atmosphere ('In Nunhead Cemetery
'). Many of her poems are in the form of dramatic monologue
s, and she often wrote from the point of view of a male persona ('The Farmer's Bride
'). Two concern mental illness - Ken and On the Asylum Road.
Mew gained the patronage of several literary figures, notably Thomas Hardy
, who called her the best woman poet of her day, Virginia Woolf
, who said she was 'very good and quite unlike anyone else', and Siegfried Sassoon
. She obtained a small Civil List
pension
with the aid of Cockerell, Hardy, John Masefield
and Walter de la Mare
. This helped ease her financial difficulties.
After the death of her sister from cancer in 1927, she descended into a deep depression
, and was admitted to a nursing home where she eventually committed suicide
by drinking Lysol
.
Mew is buried in the northern part of Hampstead Cemetery
, London NW6.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
, whose work spans the cusp between Victorian
Victorian literature
Victorian literature is the literature produced during the reign of Queen Victoria . It forms a link and transition between the writers of the romantic period and the very different literature of the 20th century....
poetry and Modernism
Modernism
Modernism, in its broadest definition, is modern thought, character, or practice. More specifically, the term describes the modernist movement, its set of cultural tendencies and array of associated cultural movements, originally arising from wide-scale and far-reaching changes to Western society...
.
She was born in Bloomsbury
Bloomsbury
-Places:* Bloomsbury is an area in central London.* Bloomsbury , related local government unit* Bloomsbury, New Jersey, New Jersey, USA* Bloomsbury , listed on the NRHP in Maryland...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
the daughter of the architect Frederick Mew, who designed Hampstead
Hampstead
Hampstead is an area of London, England, north-west of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Camden in Inner London, it is known for its intellectual, liberal, artistic, musical and literary associations and for Hampstead Heath, a large, hilly expanse of parkland...
town hall and Anna Kendall. She attended Lucy Harrison's School for Girls and lectures at University College London. Her father died in 1898 without making adequate provision for his family; two of her siblings suffered from mental illness
Mental illness
A mental disorder or mental illness is a psychological or behavioral pattern generally associated with subjective distress or disability that occurs in an individual, and which is not a part of normal development or culture. Such a disorder may consist of a combination of affective, behavioural,...
, and were committed to institutions, and three others died in early childhood leaving Charlotte, her mother and her sister, Anne. Charlotte and Anne made a pact never to marry for fear of passing on insanity to their children. (One author calls Charlotte "chastely lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
".) Through most of her adult life, Mew wore masculine attire and kept her hair short, adopting the appearance of a dandy
Dandy
A dandy is a man who places particular importance upon physical appearance, refined language, and leisurely hobbies, pursued with the appearance of nonchalance in a cult of Self...
.
In 1894, Mew succeeded in getting a short story
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
into The Yellow Book, but wrote very little poetry at this time. Her first collection of poetry, The Farmer's Bride
The Farmer's Bride
The Farmer's Bride is a collection of poetry by Charlotte Mew.Mew's first collection of poems was published in 1916, in chapbook format, by the Poetry Bookshop. In the USA, it was entitled Saturday Market and was not published until 1921...
, was published in 1916, in chapbook
Chapbook
A chapbook is a pocket-sized booklet. The term chap-book was formalized by bibliophiles of the 19th century, as a variety of ephemera , popular or folk literature. It includes many kinds of printed material such as pamphlets, political and religious tracts, nursery rhymes, poetry, folk tales,...
format, by the Poetry Bookshop
Poetry Bookshop
The Poetry Bookshop operated at 35 Devonshire Street in the Bloomsbury district of central London, from 1913 to 1926. It was the brainchild of Harold Monro, and was supported by his moderate income....
; in the USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Her second collection was entitled Saturday Market and published in 1921 by Macmillan. It earned her the admiration of Sydney Cockerell
Sydney Cockerell
Sir Sydney Carlyle Cockerell was an English museum curator and collector.-Life:Sydney Cockerell made his way initially as clerk in the family coal business, George J. Cockerell & Co, until he met John Ruskin. According to John Ruskin by Tim Hilton , around 1887 Cockerell sent Ruskin some sea...
.
Her poems are varied: some of them (such as 'Madeleine in Church') are passionate discussions of faith and the possibility of belief in God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
; others are proto-modernist
Modernism
Modernism, in its broadest definition, is modern thought, character, or practice. More specifically, the term describes the modernist movement, its set of cultural tendencies and array of associated cultural movements, originally arising from wide-scale and far-reaching changes to Western society...
in form and atmosphere ('In Nunhead Cemetery
In Nunhead Cemetery
In Nunhead Cemetery is a poem by Charlotte Mew. As the title overtly proclaims, the poem deals with the subject of death, and also with the subject of insanity...
'). Many of her poems are in the form of dramatic monologue
Dramatic monologue
M. H. Abrams notes the following three features of the dramatic monologue as it applies to poetry:-Types of monologues:One of the most important influences on the development of the dramatic monologue is the Romantic poets...
s, and she often wrote from the point of view of a male persona ('The Farmer's Bride
The Farmer's Bride
The Farmer's Bride is a collection of poetry by Charlotte Mew.Mew's first collection of poems was published in 1916, in chapbook format, by the Poetry Bookshop. In the USA, it was entitled Saturday Market and was not published until 1921...
'). Two concern mental illness - Ken and On the Asylum Road.
Mew gained the patronage of several literary figures, notably Thomas Hardy
Thomas Hardy
Thomas Hardy, OM was an English novelist and poet. While his works typically belong to the Naturalism movement, several poems display elements of the previous Romantic and Enlightenment periods of literature, such as his fascination with the supernatural.While he regarded himself primarily as a...
, who called her the best woman poet of her day, Virginia Woolf
Virginia Woolf
Adeline Virginia Woolf was an English author, essayist, publisher, and writer of short stories, regarded as one of the foremost modernist literary figures of the twentieth century....
, who said she was 'very good and quite unlike anyone else', and Siegfried Sassoon
Siegfried Sassoon
Siegfried Loraine Sassoon CBE MC was an English poet, author and soldier. Decorated for bravery on the Western Front, he became one of the leading poets of the First World War. His poetry both described the horrors of the trenches, and satirised the patriotic pretensions of those who, in Sassoon's...
. She obtained a small Civil List
Civil list
-United Kingdom:In the United Kingdom, the Civil List is the name given to the annual grant that covers some expenses associated with the Sovereign performing their official duties, including those for staff salaries, State Visits, public engagements, ceremonial functions and the upkeep of the...
pension
Pension
In general, a pension is an arrangement to provide people with an income when they are no longer earning a regular income from employment. Pensions should not be confused with severance pay; the former is paid in regular installments, while the latter is paid in one lump sum.The terms retirement...
with the aid of Cockerell, Hardy, John Masefield
John Masefield
John Edward Masefield, OM, was an English poet and writer, and Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom from 1930 until his death in 1967...
and Walter de la Mare
Walter de la Mare
Walter John de la Mare , OM CH was an English poet, short story writer and novelist, probably best remembered for his works for children and the poem "The Listeners"....
. This helped ease her financial difficulties.
After the death of her sister from cancer in 1927, she descended into a deep depression
Depression (mood)
Depression is a state of low mood and aversion to activity that can affect a person's thoughts, behaviour, feelings and physical well-being. Depressed people may feel sad, anxious, empty, hopeless, helpless, worthless, guilty, irritable, or restless...
, and was admitted to a nursing home where she eventually committed suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
by drinking Lysol
Lysol
Lysol is a trade name for common household cleanersLysol may also refer to:* Lysol , a 1992 album by The Melvins* Lysol , Actor muMs da Schemer played Lysol in The Mad Real World skit on Chappelle's Show....
.
Mew is buried in the northern part of Hampstead Cemetery
Hampstead Cemetery
Hampstead Cemetery is a historic cemetery in West Hampstead, London, located at the upper extremity of the NW6 district. Despite the name, the cemetery is three-quarters of a mile from Hampstead Village, and bears a different postcode...
, London NW6.