International Symposium
Synopsis of the 1998 Symonds International Symposium The Private and the Public Face of Victorian Culture
In April 1998 Clifton Hill House was the venue for the first international conference devoted to the life and work of the poet, critic and historian, John Addington Symonds (1840-1893). The Symposium brought together leading authorities in the fields of 19th century art, literature and cultural history. Clifton Hill House, the beautiful 18th century mansion was Symonds’ home, and is now owned by the University of Bristol.
Symonds ranks with John Ruskin and Walter Pater as a leading exponent of the Renaissance and as a major arbiter of Victorian taste. His Renaissance in Italy and Life of Michaelangelo established themselves as cardinal texts in the canon of 19th century ‘culture’, and his translations of Michaelangelo’s sonnets and Cellini’s autobiography were revelations to the English-speaking world. However, his public image was at odds with his private ambitions and inclinations. He regarded himself first and foremost as a poet, and published four volumes of verse. These have not been well regarded, but Symonds has never been adequately judged in his role as a creative writer, because the work that he considered as his chief claim to recognition has never seen the light of day.
Much of his verse remained unpublished because of its overtly homosexual content. The reappraisal of Symonds will take account of this recently discovered material. Symonds’ experience of censorship and repression, together with his inner drive to understand and come to terms with his own sexuality, lead him into the new territory of psychology. In collaboration with Havelock Ellis he produced the first significant study in English of sexual inversion. His concern – long hindered by censorship – was to create a climate of opinion favourable to decriminalisation and tolerance, and he is now regarded as a pioneer in the movement for homosexual emancipation.
In April 1998 Clifton Hill House was the venue for the first international conference devoted to the life and work of the poet, critic and historian, John Addington Symonds (1840-1893). The Symposium brought together leading authorities in the fields of 19th century art, literature and cultural history. Clifton Hill House, the beautiful 18th century mansion was Symonds’ home, and is now owned by the University of Bristol.
Symonds ranks with John Ruskin and Walter Pater as a leading exponent of the Renaissance and as a major arbiter of Victorian taste. His Renaissance in Italy and Life of Michaelangelo established themselves as cardinal texts in the canon of 19th century ‘culture’, and his translations of Michaelangelo’s sonnets and Cellini’s autobiography were revelations to the English-speaking world. However, his public image was at odds with his private ambitions and inclinations. He regarded himself first and foremost as a poet, and published four volumes of verse. These have not been well regarded, but Symonds has never been adequately judged in his role as a creative writer, because the work that he considered as his chief claim to recognition has never seen the light of day.
Much of his verse remained unpublished because of its overtly homosexual content. The reappraisal of Symonds will take account of this recently discovered material. Symonds’ experience of censorship and repression, together with his inner drive to understand and come to terms with his own sexuality, lead him into the new territory of psychology. In collaboration with Havelock Ellis he produced the first significant study in English of sexual inversion. His concern – long hindered by censorship – was to create a climate of opinion favourable to decriminalisation and tolerance, and he is now regarded as a pioneer in the movement for homosexual emancipation.