The Diary of Dr. John William Polidori, 1816, Relating to Byron, Shelley, etc.

Polidori, John William, 1795-1821Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 3.9
Word count
302K words
Chapters
31

Tags

English Originals Literary Figures Portrait GalleryByron CircleLiterary CorrespondenceCreative OriginsPsychological InsightDiary FormDocumentary Narrative

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.The Diary of Dr. John William Polidori, 1816, Relating to Byron, Shelley, etc.Author: Polidori, John William, 1795-1821,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Jul 1, 2017

Editor's review

This diary is the private record left by Polidori during his travels in Europe with Byron in 1816, covering precisely the key period of Byron's association with Shelley, the gatherings on the shores of Lake Geneva, and the background to the creation of Frankenstein. Its value lies not in literary polish but in immediacy: a young doctor, both observer and participant, records the daily words and deeds, moods, and social details of the two poets, offering rare firsthand material for the study of English Romanticism. Readers can see Byron's conversation and temper, Shelley's disposition, and also feel Polidori's own awkwardness and urge to observe as he moves among the celebrated. The diary is short and well suited as supplementary reading for Romanticism studies, and for readers who already have a basic knowledge of Byron and Shelley and wish to go deeper into the details. Note that the original is in English and involves many names and period background; reading with annotations or a relevant biography will go more smoothly.

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Reading tips

  1. Read a concise biography of Byron or Shelley first, then the diary, so names and events line up more easily.
  2. Read through in chronological order, marking unfamiliar figures first and sorting out relationships afterward.
  3. Read the diary alongside the genesis of Frankenstein, paying attention to accounts of the gathering scenes.
  4. For the English original, use an annotated edition or a relevant scholarly introduction to reduce background obstacles.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

Contents

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
  6. 6
  7. 7
  8. 8
  9. 9
  10. 10
  11. 11
  12. 12
  13. 13
  14. 14
  15. 15
  16. 16
  17. 17
  18. 18
  19. 19
  20. 20
  21. 21
  22. 22
  23. 23
  24. 24
  25. 25
  26. 26
  27. 27
  28. 28
  29. 29
  30. 30
  31. 31

FAQ

What does this diary mainly record? It mainly records what Polidori saw and heard while traveling in Europe with Byron in 1816, including interactions with Byron, Shelley, and others, daily conversations, and social activities; it is a private record for understanding the Romantic literary circle of this period.
Do I need to know about Byron and Shelley before reading this diary? A basic acquaintance is advisable. The diary is a fragmentary on-the-spot record; without any knowledge of Byron's and Shelley's lives and major works, names and events will seem scattered and the reading yield limited.
Is this book in Chinese or English? The original is in English, with the electronic edition released by Project Gutenberg. Chinese readers need some English reading ability, or should read with annotations, a translation, or related research materials.
Is it suitable as a primary source for literary research? It is better as supplementary material. The diary offers firsthand details and an on-the-spot perspective but lacks systematic argument; researchers usually use it together with biographies, letter collections, and scholarly monographs.

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About the author

Polidori, John William, 1795-1821 Author

John William Polidori (1795–1821) was an English writer best known for the short story The Vampyre a Tale. The work created an elegant yet dangerous aristocratic vampire figure and had a lasting influence on later Gothic fiction and the literary vampire tradition. Polidori also left a diary of his association with Byron, Shelley, and others, written in 1816, which provides a first-hand source for studying the circle of writers of the Romantic period. His writing draws largely on Gothic and supernatural themes, with a somber tone and an emphasis on atmosphere. He died young and left only a small body of work; public information about him is limited, yet The Vampyre holds a distinctive place in literary history.