Ella Erskine, Elkin Mathews, and the “Long Aesthetic Century”
Date
2024-04-23
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Women's Writing
Abstract
Scholars have used terms such as the “long nineteenth century” to convey the fact that the characteristics, principles, and artistic debates of the Victorian era did not suddenly vanish in 1900, but continued to inform British literature throughout the Edwardian era and into the start of the First World War. From work written by women, in particular, during the first decade of the twentieth century, it is obvious that one of the most significant developments of late-Victorian literature – i.e. the Aesthetic Movement – continued to enjoy an active life. This chapter uses a 1909 volume of prose poems, Shadow-shapes by Ella Erskine, to make that point, while demonstrating the important role played by Elkin Mathews, her publisher, in keeping Aestheticism before the public.
Description
This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Women's Writing on 04/23/2024, available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/09699082.2024.2325825. © 2024 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. This article will be embargoed until 10/23/2025.
Keywords
aestheticism, decadence, women’s writing, Walter Pater, “George Egerton”, Oscar Wilde, fantasy, fairy tales, British publishing industry
Citation
Stetz, M. D. (2024). Ella Erskine, Elkin Mathews, and the “Long Aesthetic Century.” Women’s Writing, 31(2), 157–171. https://doi.org/10.1080/09699082.2024.2325825