Victorian+Songs+-+Lyrics+of+the+Affections+and+Nature+by+Edmund+H+Garrett

//Victorian Songs: Lyrics of the Affections and Nature// is an anthology of Victorian lyrical poems, collected and illustrated by Edmund H Garrett and published by Little Brown and Company in 1895. The book includes of the works of 45 well-known Victorian poets, such as Christina Rossetti, Thomas Hood and Alfred Tennyson. The poems are ordered throughout the book alphabetically. The variety of authors included in the book make it a great resource for discovering the best and most popular lyrical poetry of the time.

Edmund H. Garrett (1853-1929) was an American painter, etcher and illustrator who resided in Boston, Massachusetts. Garrett was an active member of the Boston art community, attaining a membership to both the Bost on Art Club and Copley Society of Art. Garrett attended school in Paris at the Academie Julian, however he returned to Boston after five years to open an art studio. Inspired by European landscapes and art, Garrett was passionate about creating watercolours and he spent most of his career creating illustrations for books and publications such as the poetry books by Tennyson, //Pride and Prejudice// by Jane Austen, and his most famous; the legends of King Arthur. In addition to illustrating books, Garrett compiled several other books such as //Romances and Reality of the Puritan Coast,// written in 1897. (Art of Print). He was also known for creating bookplates, and completed at least 83 of them in his lifetime (Wikipedia). The book “Bookplates Selected from the Works of Edmund H Garrett and a Notice of Them” by William Howe Downes was written about his bookplate creations in 1904.

//The cover page of Victorian Songs. Note the// //gold ink of the title, borders and decorative flowers.// The book itself was obtained at the McPherson library at the University of Victoria (PR1223 G3). It has a white cover that is detailed with golden lettering, flowers and borders as well as a crest that bears the french phrase “Dieu et mon droit”, the motto of the monarch of the United Kingdom that translates to “God and my right”. It is a gift book which is a departure from the Victorian trend of pocketbooks. The pages are very rugged and although the book is in good qua lity, it has clearly been well-used.

Victorian poetry was well received in the United States, and its publications "satisfied an English desire for good reception". (Cohen 169). In the 1800s, several American literary periodicals -such as Harper's and Scribner's-began publishing Victorian poetry in the United States. This "satisfied an English desire for good reception" (Cohen 169), and the American publications that printed British poetry had more publication in England than English poetry itself (Cohen 169). //Name of the owner of the book, found on the backside of the title page.// The book has an inscription directly behind the cover with the name “Eiran Izubre Garris”. There are many illustrations throughout the book, all drawn by Garrett who is credited as the illustrator. Almost each poem features a drawing of some sort, usually a drawing of a plant however there are more detailed drawings by Garrett placed throughout the book. The pages with illustrations are protected with a lining to preserve the quality of the illustration. The table of contents includes an illustration of a woman reading a book. This illustration is noteworthy, due to the red colour of the ink, which is a departure from the standard black ink used throughout the rest of the book, the only other instance of red ink within the book being the title page. Illustrated poetry was very popular within the Victorian era, and they often served as a means of highlighting particular themes in the poem. More information on illustrations in Victorian poetry can be found here.

//The t////able of contents. This is an original drawing by Garrett.//

//Another original drawing by Garrett. This drawing is a visual interpretation of Break, Break, Break by Tennyson.//

All of the poems are lyrical poems that pertain to the subject matter of affections and nature and they are all Victorian. More information on lyric poems can be found here. The book is composed of many different poets; particularly noteworthy are six poems by Tennyson he chooses to include. The Tennyson section of the book is particularly noteworthy because of his illustrations included in various Tennyson compilation books such as //“Fairy Lilian & Other Poems”//, written in 1888. Garrett also includes a quote from Tennyson’s famous poem “The Princess” : “Let someone sing to us: lightlier move the minutes fledged within the music”. Garrett also includes a detailed illustration to accompany “Break, Break, Break”, a poem he chose to include within his selected Tennyson works. All this taken into account, it is obvious Tennyson was a favourite of Garrett.

Works Cited

Dieu et mon droit." //Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia.”// Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.10 Jan 2016. Web.

The Art of Print. //“Edmund Henry Garrett”//. The Art of Print. Web. http://www.artoftheprint.com/artistpages/garrett_edmund_garrett_nearmattakeesett.htm

Garret, Edmund. “Victorian Songs: Lyrics of the Affections and Nature”. Boston: Little Brown and Company. Boston, 1895. Print.

Edmund H. Garrett.//” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia.”// Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 29 April 2015.

Cohen, Michael. //"E.C Stedman and the Invention of Victorian Poetry."// //Victorian Poetry// 43.2 (2005): 186-88. //JSTOR//. Web.