Synopsis
The Poetical Works of Letitia Elizabeth Landon: The Golden Violet, Erinna, Miscellaneous Poems is a Romantic-era collection that centers on the title poem The Golden Violet and includes Erinna, a richly imagined fragmentary epic, along with a selection of Miscellaneous Poems. This volume intertwines lyrical, narrative, and didactic modes, often adopting the voice of a traveling minstrel and drawing on legends from Provence, Moorish stories, Ireland, Italy, and other realms of imagination. The long central sequence—The Golden Violet—unfolds as a suite of tales about poets, patrons, lovers, and knights, exploring themes of artistic merit, fame, love, and the fragility of human happiness. The collection features devotional and reflective pieces, a preface, an Introductory Notice on Erinna, and a dedication to the author’s uncle, Rev. James Landon, highlighting family connections. Originally published in 1844 in London, this edition showcases Landon’s lush, ornate language, musical cadence, and deep engagement with the duties and sorrows of genius, love, and mortality.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.