Yesterday, I shared a poem by author George Meredith that he wrote in response to his reading of the first edition of Emily Dickinson’s poetry. The poem, entitled “The Poems of Emily Dickinson,” was published in the April 1891 issue of “The Literary World.” The post from yesterday is HERE, and spoiler alert: I found the poem to be confusing and syntactically awkward. [PLEASE NOTE: I HAVE POSTED UPDATED INFO HERE. THE POEM IN QUESTION WAS ACTUALLY WRITTEN BY GERTRUDE EUPHEMIA MEREDITH, NOT GEORGE MEREDITH.]
I had never heard of George Meredith, so I looked him up. His Wikipedia page is HERE, and I was surprised to learn that he had been nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature seven times. A list of his works is included on the page, but I am not familiar with any of them.
I perused the page, and a few odd bits jumped out at me, so I thought I’d share them today.
For example, the page states, “Meredith was born at 73 High Street, Portsmouth, Hampshire, England, the only child of Augustus Urmston Meredith and his wife Jane Eliza (née Macnamara).” I love finding unique and hoity-toity-sounding names from the past, and Augustus Urmston Meredith is right up there with one I found recently, Hezekiah Butterworth. And get this, Augustus’ father was named Melchizedek. LOL – I’m not even sure how to pronounce that one.
But hold your horses! The article also states, “Drawn to literary circles, Meredith collaborated with Edward Gryffydh Peacock, son of Thomas Love Peacock, in publishing a privately circulated literary magazine, the Monthly Observer.”
Someone please tell me – how do you even pronounce “Gryffydh” without sounding like a cat coughing up a hairball.
I had never heard of George Meredith, so I looked him up. His Wikipedia page is HERE, and I was surprised to learn that he had been nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature seven times. A list of his works is included on the page, but I am not familiar with any of them.
I perused the page, and a few odd bits jumped out at me, so I thought I’d share them today.
For example, the page states, “Meredith was born at 73 High Street, Portsmouth, Hampshire, England, the only child of Augustus Urmston Meredith and his wife Jane Eliza (née Macnamara).” I love finding unique and hoity-toity-sounding names from the past, and Augustus Urmston Meredith is right up there with one I found recently, Hezekiah Butterworth. And get this, Augustus’ father was named Melchizedek. LOL – I’m not even sure how to pronounce that one.
But hold your horses! The article also states, “Drawn to literary circles, Meredith collaborated with Edward Gryffydh Peacock, son of Thomas Love Peacock, in publishing a privately circulated literary magazine, the Monthly Observer.”
Someone please tell me – how do you even pronounce “Gryffydh” without sounding like a cat coughing up a hairball.
| Another name that caught me eye was that of Meredith’s father’s second wife. His first wife, Jane, had died when George was five years old, and following her death, Augustus moved with George to London. Then, in July 1839, Augustus remarried – his second wife being the family's former housekeeper, Matilda Buckett. Well, I won’t comment on that relationship; however, I couldn’t help but think of the British sitcom “Keeping Up Appearances” with Hyacinth Bucket, pronounced Bouquet, if you please. I wonder how Matilda pronounced her last name. |  |
The Wikipedia article also mentions that Meredith’s father was, as the grandfather had been before him, a naval outfitter, and among his employees was James Watson Gieve.
Okay…sooo – who was James Watson Gieve? Is that a name you recognize?
I searched his name and discovered that he was one of the founders of “Gieves & Hawkes,” a bespoke men's tailor and menswear retailer located at 1 Savile Row in London.
Okay…sooo – who was James Watson Gieve? Is that a name you recognize?
I searched his name and discovered that he was one of the founders of “Gieves & Hawkes,” a bespoke men's tailor and menswear retailer located at 1 Savile Row in London.
Okay…sooo – what is a bespoke tailor?
Unlike ready-to-wear or even made-to-measure, which use standard patterns, bespoke tailoring creates completely unique garments from scratch, handcrafted for an individual's specific measurements, body, and style.
Unlike ready-to-wear or even made-to-measure, which use standard patterns, bespoke tailoring creates completely unique garments from scratch, handcrafted for an individual's specific measurements, body, and style.
| Well, I suppose I’m not rich enough to have known this. I gotta say, though – after recently re-watching the six seasons of Downtown Abbey, I marvel at the fact that I’ve been able to make it through life without a butler, an underbutler and a footman. It’s been a struggle, to be sure, but I have persevered. By the way, Gieves and Hawkes was founded in 1771 – AND THE PLACE IS STILL OPEN! Their website is HERE. |  |
Okay, enough for today. I’ll have a few more tidbits on Meredith tomorrow, and then I’ll move on!
PLEASE NOTE: I HAVE POSTED UPDATED INFO HERE. THE POEM IN QUESTION WAS ACTUALLY WRITTEN BY GERTRUDE EUPHEMIA MEREDITH, NOT GEORGE MEREDITH.:
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