W. H. Mallock's Every Man "His Own Poet"

W. H. Mallock's Every Man His Own Poet, published anonymously in 1872 and republished here in a text based on the second edition, satirizes those who would write poetry in an age of scientific advance and religious decay. Convinced that no great poetry is possible in a nation lacking belief in...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Victorian poetry 1978-04, Vol.16 (1/2), p.176-187
Main Author: Qualls, Barry V.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Classical poetry
Fathers
Love poetry
Narrative poetry
Pastoral poetry
Poetic movements
Poetry
Satire
Soul
Victorians
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:W. H. Mallock's Every Man His Own Poet, published anonymously in 1872 and republished here in a text based on the second edition, satirizes those who would write poetry in an age of scientific advance and religious decay. Convinced that no great poetry is possible in a nation lacking belief in the "cardinal doctrines of religious orthodoxy," Mallock (using Peacock's "The Four Ages of Poetry" as his model) calls to account Bishop Colenso and T. H. Huxley for undermining the faith that alone could make contemporary poetry more than idle nonsense. Then he proceeds to give his recipes for "making" poems as the popular poets did, choosing cookery language to emphasize his revulsion at the "physical basis" of poetry and modern life. This revulsion, and the great fun of the satires it generates, provide us a small but quintessential statement of Victorianism, of many Victorians' fear that basing all belief on the "physical basis of life" would turn civilized man into a feeding brute.
ISSN:0042-5206