Life and works Richard Jefferies

1 life , works

1.1 life
1.2 first successes

1.2.1 essays
1.2.2 bevis books


1.3 illness , death

1.3.1 onset
1.3.2 after london
1.3.3 final years

life , works

coate farm in 1896. roof thatched.


early life

john richard jefferies (he used first name during childhood) born @ coate, in parish of chiseldon, near swindon, wiltshire, son of farmer, james luckett jefferies (1816–1896). birthplace , home museum open public. james jefferies had farm father, john jefferies, had been london printer before returning swindon run family mill , bakery. richard s mother, elizabeth gyde (1817–1895), called betsy, daughter of john jefferies s binder , manager.

these relationships mirrored in characters of jefferies s late novel amaryllis @ fair (1887); , portraits of family in novel tally external accounts of jefferies. james jefferies, iden in amaryllis, devoted garden, while struggling make financial success of farm. garden, lovingly recalled in wood magic , amaryllis, makes strong impression on memories of knew jefferies @ time. betsy, iden s wife, seems have been dissatisfied life on farm: town-bred woman beautiful face , pleasure-loving soul, kind , generous fault, unsuited country life. farm small, 39 acres (160,000 m) of pasture; , mortgage of £1500 later begin slide debt james jefferies, lost farm in 1877 , became jobbing gardener. these difficulties less evident in richard s childhood. situation in after london (1885), farming , gardening baron again based on james jefferies: whole place falling decay, while @ same time seemed flowing milk , honey . 1 part of jefferies family strikingly missing books. in wood magic, bevis , amaryllis, hero (or heroine) has no siblings; after london gives main character brothers , depicts imperfect sympathy between them. james , elizabeth s first child, ellen, had died young; richard had 2 younger brothers , younger sister.

jefferies spent several of earlier years, between ages of 4 , nine, aunt , uncle, harrilds, in sydenham, attended private school, returning coate in holidays. uncle, thomas harrild, son of printing innovator robert harrild. jefferies kept close friendship mrs. ellen harrild (nee gyde) , letters important source biographers. @ coate, spent of time in countryside; , of narrates of bevis true of himself. father had taken him shooting when eight; , @ 9 had shot rabbit. spending of time hunting (both gun , snares) , fishing. also, bevis, added home-made rigging boat sail on reservoir; , said have built own canoe, hero of after london. @ same time, became keen reader: favourite books included homer s odyssey, percy s reliques, don quixote , james fenimore cooper s pathfinder, served model mock battles fought on field between farm , reservoir.

in november 1864, @ age of sixteen, , cousin, james cox, ran off france, intending walk russia. (cox, older jefferies, worked great western railway , had little money saved.) after crossing channel, found schoolboy french insufficient , returned england. before reached swindon, noticed advertisement cheap crossings liverpool america , set off in new direction. tickets however, did not include cost of food; , boys forced return swindon after attempt pawn watches had drawn attention of police.

jefferies in 1872

jefferies left school @ fifteen , @ first continued habits of solitary wanderings local countryside. dressed carelessly , allowed hair grow down collar. this, bent form , long, rapid stride made him object of wonder in town of swindon. unconscious of this, or indifferent it. helped little on farm (his enthusiasm chopping , splitting wood) , regarded of idler. gun carried drew suspicion of local landowners – 1 said, young jefferies not sort of fellow want hanging in covers . finally, in 1866, started work newspaper reporter north wiltshire herald. several years worked reporter, contributing not north wiltshire herald, wilts , gloucestershire standard , swindon advertiser. editor of swindon advertiser, william morris, antiquarian , local historian, lent jefferies books , encouraged writing attempts. jefferies himself developed antiquarian interest in countryside: published articles on local history in north wiltshire herald , first notice stone circle near coate farm. spending time on downs, particularly @ iron age hill fort, liddington castle, lie on grass, ecstatically feeling , seeking connection natural world. in september 1867 , july 1868 ill. in retrospect illnesses first symptoms of tuberculosis kill him. emerged them weakened , thin – legs thin grasshopper s , wrote aunt. illness prompted reconsideration of own character: going not swell stylish in future, since people set store appearance.

he actively pursuing career writer, writing history of goddards, local family, , reporting, editing, , authorship: practical hints beginners in literature (1873), in shared fruits of brief experience local reporter. meanwhile novels writing not find publisher. national attention attracted instead series of letters times on wiltshire agricultural labourer, published in november 1872. letters, other writings period, reflect conservative outlook of upbringing.

in 1874, year of first published novel, scarlet shawl, married jessie baden (1853–1926), daughter of nearby farmer. after living few months @ coate farm, couple moved house in swindon in 1875 (its current address 93 victoria road); , first child, richard harold jefferies, born there on 3 may.

first successes
essays

while in swindon, jefferies had found difficult seek publication or employment london publishers; , in 1877, jessie , baby son harold, moved house @ 296 ewell road, tolworth, near surbiton. (there wooden plaque commemorating entrance surbiton library.) area @ limits of london s growth. jefferies spent time wandering through nearby countryside; , these walks later provide material nature near london (1883).

anemone leaf round great estate, described in chap. 5. smith, elder & co. used emblem in subsequent editions of jefferies s books.

the surbiton years momentous. couple s next child, daughter called jessie after mother (but known second name, phyllis), born (on 6 december 1880), , jefferies began make name @ last. new surroundings defined him, both himself , others, country writer. articles drawing on jefferies s wiltshire experiences found ready market in pall mall gazette. first came series of essays based on friendship keeper of burderop estate, near coate, gamekeeper @ home, collected book in 1878. book received , jefferies compared great english nature writer, gilbert white. 3 more collections followed same pattern of publication in pall mall gazette , in book form: wild life in southern county , amateur poacher (both 1879), , round great estate (1880). collection, hodge , masters (1880), brought articles first published in standard. in few years jefferies took write these essays, literary skill developed rapidly: amateur poacher in particular regarded major advance on earlier works, first in approaches autobiographical subject matter behind best works. minor novel, greene ferne farm (1880), first gain recognition, both contemporaries , in later scholarship.

the bevis books

two books of these years form sequence. wood magic: fable (1881) introduces child-hero, bevis, small child on farm near small lake, called longpond , coate farm , coate reservoir. bevis s exploration of garden , neighbouring fields brings him contact country s birds , animals, can speak him, can inanimate parts of nature, such stream , wind. part of book depiction of small child s interaction natural world, cynical animal fable of revolt against magpie kapchack, local tyrant. in bevis (1882), boy older, , fantasy element, animals can talk, quite absent. rather, have realistically related adventures of bevis , friend mark, fighting mock battle other local children, rigging boat , sailing island on lake (which call new sea ), fishing , shooting homemade gun.

illness , death
onset

in december 1881, jefferies began suffer until undiagnosed tuberculosis, anal fistula. after series of painful operations, moved west brighton convalesce. time wrote extraordinary autobiography, story of heart (1883). had been planning work seventeen years and, in words, absolutely , unflinchingly true . not autobiography of events of life, outpouring of deepest thoughts , feelings.

articles surbiton area reprinted in popular nature near london (1883), although last chapters of book refer beachy head, ditchling beacon , other sussex landmarks.

in brighton, third child, richard oliver launcelot jefferies, born on 18 july 1883. life short one. jefferies moved eltham, in kent, part of greenwich, in june 1884, , here, in 1885, child died of meningitis. jefferies affected not attend funeral.

after london

jefferies s next novel, after london (1885), can seen example of post-apocalyptic fiction : after sudden , unspecified catastrophe has depopulated england, countryside reverts nature, , few survivors quasi-medieval way of life.

the book has 2 parts. first, relapse barbarism , account later historian of fall of civilisation , consequences, loving description of nature reclaiming england: fields becoming overrun forest, domesticated animals running wild, roads , towns becoming overgrown, hated london reverting lake , poisonous swampland. second part, wild england , largely straightforward adventure set many years later in wild landscape , society (here jefferies setting example genre); opening section, despite improbabilities, has been admired rigour , compelling narrative.

critics dissatisfied second part make exception of chapters 22–24, go beyond recreation of medieval world give disturbing , surreal description of site of fallen city.

jefferies s interest in catastrophes predates after london: 2 short unpublished pieces 1870s describe social collapse after london paralysed freak winter conditions. in better achieved of these, narrator future historian piecing story surviving accounts. fantasy of second part has predecessor in short work, rise of maximin, emperor of occident, serialised in new monthly magazine in 1876, in case adventure set in remote , imaginary past.

although society jefferies depicts after fall of london unpleasant one, oppressive petty tyrants @ war each other, , insecurity , injustice poor, still served inspiration william morris s utopian news (1890). in letter of 1885, writes of reaction after london: absurd hopes curled around heart read it. after london influenced m.p. shiel s disaster novel, purple cloud.

final years

after eltham, jefferies lived briefly in various parts of sussex, first @ rotherfield, in house on crowborough hill. in crowborough jefferies completed ambitious , unusual novel, amaryllis @ fair (1887). closely based on own family @ coate, describes farm , family imperceptibly approaching disaster. there little narrative development; instead significant or typical moments presented in short scenes or tableaux.

illness , resulting lower productivity had impoverished jefferies; , editor charles longman suggested application royal literary fund. @ first jefferies resisted suggestion, regarding aid aristocratic patrons not involved in literary work humiliating: patrons of literature! there ever such disgrace in nineteenth century? patrons of literature! thing abominable! longman succeeded in convincing jefferies fund assisted had made success in literature . application accepted , committee voted grant of 1 hundred pounds. fund arranged longman enabled jefferies move nearer sea, worthing suburb of goring. here, on 14 august 1887, died of tuberculosis , exhaustion. buried in broadwater , worthing cemetery in worthing.

after death, number of posthumous collections made of writings published in newspapers , magazines, beginning field , hedgerow (1889), edited widow. new collections have appeared on century following birth, not have been reprinted in book form.