Description: Laus Veneris: Poems and ballads, Algernon Charles Swinburne,1899, Limited edition. 8vo., 8.75 x 7, [xlvi], 354 pp. Frontispiece portrait, facsimile reproductions. Duotone boards, jacket, slipcase. Toning, wear to slipcase, one joint split; jacket panels a bit toned, spine darkened and damp-soiled; some foxing to volume spine and edges; page edges foxed. One of 450 copies on Van Gelder hand-made paper. Algernon Charles Swinburne's dramatic and lyrical poem "Laus Veneris" and Edward Burne-Jones's subsequent painting of the same title were created within 4 years of each other, the poem in 1866 and the painting between 1873 and 1878. Swinburne's "Laus Veneris," whose Latin title translates to "the praise of Venus or love," is based on the theme of Tannhauser (RPO). In the legend, the young knight Tannhauser falls in love with Venus and lives with her in her subterranean home until he becomes filled with remorse. He escapes her snares and travels to Rome to ask Pope Urban if he could be absolved of his sins. The Pope declares it impossible, just as impossible as his papal staff blossoming. Three days after Tannhauser returns to Vienna, the Pope's staff supposedly bloomed with flowers, but the knight never learns of this divine miracle and spends his life in damnation. Throughout the poem the speaker bemoans his own enslavement to love, or this damnation, such as in this case: "Alas thy beauty! for thy mouth's sweet sake/ My soul is bitter to me, my limbs quake." His addiction to physical love and sensuality also reflects the idea of Venus's dangerous beauty, for according to the legend Venus lures Tannhauser by bathing in the woods. Swinburne's poem contains rich descriptions of atmosphere as well as the inner workings of the speaker's mind and his idea of love, which all reflect the loss of this love. (The Victorian Web). Algernon Charles Swinburne (5 April 1837 – 10 April 1909) was an English poet, playwright, novelist and critic. He wrote many plays - all tragedies - and collections of poetry such as Poems and Ballads, and contributed to the Eleventh Edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica. (Wikipedia).
Price: 169.99 USD
Location: Hillsboro, Oregon
End Time: 2025-01-08T19:00:01.000Z
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Item Specifics
Restocking Fee: No
Return shipping will be paid by: Buyer
All returns accepted: Returns Accepted
Item must be returned within: 30 Days
Refund will be given as: Money Back
Binding: Hardcover
Place of Publication: Portland, Maine
Language: English
Special Attributes: Limited Edition
Author: Algernon Charles Swinburne
Region: North America
Personalized: No
Publisher: Thomas B. Mosher
Topic: Poetry
Subject: Literature & Fiction
Original/Facsimile: Original
Year Printed: 1899
