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Eloisa en Dishabillé by John Matthews [parody of Pope's Eloisa & Abelard]

$450
£346.87
€414.92
CA$654.42
A$674.66
CHF 383.34
MX$8,539.95
NOK 4,389.73
SEK 4,598.78
DKK 3,101.81

About the Item

Matthews, John [Ascribed to Professor Porson] Eloisa en Dishabillé; being a New Version of that Lady's Celebrated Epistle to Abelard, Ascribed to Professor Porson London: W. Hughes, 1822. First, Limited Edition. 12mo, 7 3/8 x 4 3/4 inches (193 x 120 mm); 27 pp. Quarter bound in tan calf, gilt title, red boards. Binding rubbed but solid. Interior clean and unmarked. Some bookseller pencil markings inside front cover. One of only 50 copies printed. [Halkett & Lang II, 152]. A remarkably scarce and mischievous parody of Alexander Pope’s celebrated Eloisa to Abelard, recasting the tragic passion of Héloïse in a deliberately irreverent and risqué register. The work has an unusually colorful bibliographical history: first published in 1780, it was long attributed to the eminent classical scholar Richard Porson (1759–1808), whose name lends the poem an additional layer of literary jeu d’esprit. It was also attributed at various times to a writer named Coffin, but is now recognized as the work of the physician and poet John Matthews (1755–1826), whose writings were largely published anonymously. Rather than Pope’s exalted meditation on forbidden love, Matthews offers an earthy, humorous, and suggestive reimagining of the medieval lovers Héloïse and Abelard. The combination of literary parody, pseudonymous authorship, and ephemeral production makes this an especially appealing example of the more subversive side of early nineteenth-century English print culture. This edition, limited to a mere 50 copies, is exceptionally uncommon. Condition: Very good.
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 7.6 in (19.3 cm)Width: 4.73 in (12 cm)Depth: 0.6 in (1.5 cm)
  • Materials and Techniques:
  • Place of Origin:
  • Period:
  • Date of Manufacture:
    1822
  • Condition:
    Wear consistent with age and use.
  • Seller Location:
    Middletown, NY
  • Reference Number:
    Seller: BH23791stDibs: LU8340251927722

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