Article #539-2 | Gutenberg Articles

Excerpt

Excerpt from A. W. Kinglake: A Biographical and Literary Study, by William Tuckwell

PREFACE

It is just eleven years since Kinglake passed away, and his life has not
yet been separately memorialized. A few years more, and the personal
side of him would be irrecoverable, though by personality, no less than
by authorship, he made his contemporary mark. When a tomb has been
closed for centuries, the effaced lineaments of its tenant can be
re-coloured only by the idealizing hand of genius, as Scott drew
Claverhouse, and Carlyle drew Cromwell. But, to the biographer of the
lately dead, men have a right to say, as Saul said to the Witch of Endor,
“Call up Samuel!” In your study of a life so recent as Kinglake’s, give
us, if you choose, some critical synopsis of his monumental writings,
some salvage from his ephemeral and scattered papers; trace so much of
his youthful training as shaped the development of his character; depict,
with wise restraint, his political and public life: but also, and above
all, re-clothe him “in his habit as he lived,” as friends and associates
knew him; recover his traits of voice and manner, his conversational wit
or wisdom, epigram or paradox, his explosions of sarcasm and his
eccentricities of reserve, his words of winningness and acts of kindness:
and, since one half of his life was social, introduce us to the
companions who shared his lighter hour and evoked his finer fancies; take
us to the Athenæum “Corner,” or to Holland House, and flash on us at
least a glimpse of the brilliant men and women who formed the setting to
his sparkle; “dic in amicitiam coeant et foedera jungant.”

This I have endeavoured to do, with such aid as I could command from his
few remaining contemporaries. His letters to his family were destroyed
by his own desire; on those written to Madame Novikoff no such embargo
was laid, nor does she believe that it was intended. I have used these
sparingly, and all extracts from them have been subjected to her
censorship. If the result is not Attic in salt, it is at any rate Roman
in brevity. I send it forth with John Bunyan’s homely aspiration:

Explanation

**Detailed Explanation of the Excerpt from A. W. Kinglake: A Biographical and Literary Study by William Tuckwell**

This passage is the Preface to William Tuckwell’s 1902 biography of Alexander William Kinglake (1809–1891), a prominent Victorian historian, travel writer, and politician best known for his monumental work Eothen (1844) and his multi-volume History of the Crimean War (1863–1887). The Preface serves as both a justification for writing the biography and a manifesto for how Tuckwell intends to approach his subject. Below is a breakdown of its key elements, themes, and literary techniques, with an emphasis on the text itself.

1. Context and Purpose

Tuckwell begins by noting that eleven years have passed since Kinglake’s death (1891), a period long enough for personal memories to fade but short enough that firsthand accounts still exist. His urgency stems from a fear that, if not recorded soon, the "personal side" of Kinglake—the man as he was known to friends—will be lost, leaving only his "monumental writings" (his books) as a legacy.

Historical Context: By the early 20th century, biographies were increasingly expected to do more than just chronicle a subject’s achievements; they were to revive the person’s character for posterity. Tuckwell positions himself as a preserver of living memory, contrasting his task with that of biographers who write about figures long dead (like Walter Scott’s Claverhouse or Thomas Carlyle’s Cromwell), who must rely on imagination rather than direct testimony.
Audience Expectation: He acknowledges that readers demand not just an analysis of Kinglake’s works but a vivid portrayal of the man himself—his speech, manners, wit, and social circle.

2. Central Themes

A. The Biographer’s Duty: Resurrection vs. Idealization

Tuckwell frames his task as a summoning of the dead, invoking the biblical story of Saul and the Witch of Endor (1 Samuel 28), where the king demands the prophet Samuel be raised from the dead. This analogy suggests that:

Biography is an act of necromancy—calling forth the past.
Unlike mythic or ancient figures (who require idealization), recent figures like Kinglake must be faithfully reconstructed from living memory.

He contrasts two approaches:

The "idealizing hand of genius" (e.g., Scott’s romanticized Claverhouse, Carlyle’s heroic Cromwell) – suitable for distant historical figures.
The "re-clothing" of the recently dead – a more immediate, personal portrayal, grounded in eyewitness accounts.

B. The Dual Nature of Kinglake’s Life: Public vs. Private

Tuckwell argues that Kinglake’s life was half public, half social:

Public/Political Life: His writings, political career (he was an MP), and historical works.
Social/Personal Life: His conversations, wit, eccentricities, and friendships—the aspects that made him memorable to contemporaries.

The biographer’s duty, then, is to balance these two sides, ensuring that the human Kinglake is not overshadowed by the literary Kinglake.

Tuckwell emphasizes that Kinglake’s personality was shaped by his social world, particularly:

The Athenæum Club’s "Corner" – A famous London gentlemen’s club where intellectuals and politicians gathered.
Holland House – A Whig political and literary salon hosted by Lady Holland, a hub for 19th-century elite society.

By recreating these spaces, Tuckwell aims to immerse the reader in Kinglake’s milieu, showing how his wit and ideas were provoked by his peers.

D. The Challenge of Limited Sources

Tuckwell laments that:

Kinglake destroyed his family letters (a common Victorian practice to preserve privacy).
Only his letters to Madame Novikoff (a Russian writer and socialite) survive, and even those are censored by her.

This forces Tuckwell to rely on:

Oral testimonies from aging contemporaries.
Sparse written records, used "sparingly" to avoid misrepresentation.

His goal is brevity and accuracy ("Roman in brevity") rather than ornate prose ("Attic in salt," a reference to the witty, polished style of ancient Greek rhetoric).

3. Literary Devices and Stylistic Choices

A. Biblical and Classical Allusions

"Call up Samuel!" (1 Samuel 28) – Reinforces the idea of biography as resurrection.
"Dic in amicitiam coeant et foedera jungant" (Latin: "Let them come together in friendship and form alliances") – A quote from Virgil’s Aeneid (Book 4), suggesting that biography should unite reader and subject in intimacy, as if they were contemporaries.

B. Metaphor and Imagery

"Re-clothe him in his habit as he lived" – The biographer as a costume designer, dressing the subject in his true personality.
"Flash on us at least a glimpse" – The idea of biography as illumination, briefly revealing a lost world.
"Setting to his sparkle" – Kinglake’s brilliance is compared to a gem, with his social circle as the mounting that enhances its luster.

C. Contrast and Juxtaposition

Ancient vs. Recent Biographies: Scott/Carlyle’s imaginative reconstructions vs. Tuckwell’s eyewitness-based approach.
Public vs. Private Kinglake: The monumental author vs. the conversational wit.
"Attic salt" vs. "Roman brevity": A contrast between elegant wit (Attic, Greek) and direct simplicity (Roman), signaling Tuckwell’s preference for clarity over ornament.

D. Tone and Diction

Urgency: "A few years more, and the personal side of him would be irrecoverable" – Creates a sense of race against time.
Humility: "I send it forth with John Bunyan’s homely aspiration" – Ends on a modest note, quoting the Puritan writer’s simple prayer (likely from Pilgrim’s Progress), reinforcing that his work is sincere but unpretentious.

4. Significance of the Passage

A. The Evolution of Biography

Tuckwell’s Preface reflects a shift in 19th-century biography from hagiography (idealized lives of great men) to psychological and social realism. He argues that a biography should:

Humanize its subject, not just canonize them.
Reconstruct their world, not just their achievements.

B. Kinglake’s Place in Victorian Culture

By focusing on Kinglake’s social persona, Tuckwell highlights how Victorian intellectual life was as much about conversation and salons as it was about books. Kinglake’s wit, sarcasm, and eccentricities were part of his public identity, making him a figure of fascination beyond his writings.

C. The Biographer’s Ethical Dilemma

Tuckwell grapples with:

Privacy vs. Posterity: Should destroyed letters be respected, or should biography override personal wishes?
Accuracy vs. Censorship: Madame Novikoff’s control over the letters raises questions about whose version of Kinglake we get.

D. The Reader’s Role

The Preface invites the reader into a pact: Tuckwell will recreate Kinglake’s world, and the reader will engage with him as a living presence. This aligns with the Victorian appetite for "life writing"—biographies, memoirs, and letters that made historical figures feel immediate and relatable.

5. Key Takeaways from the Text Itself

Biography as Resurrection: The act of writing about the recently dead is like summoning a ghost—it requires both respect and boldness.
The Personal is Historical: Kinglake’s manners, voice, and friendships are as important as his books in understanding him.
The Limits of Sources: Even with gaps (destroyed letters, aging witnesses), the biographer must work with what remains.
Style Matters: Tuckwell prioritizes clarity and brevity over flowery prose, aligning with Kinglake’s own precise, sometimes sarcastic style.

Conclusion: Why This Preface Matters

This passage is not just an introduction to a biography—it is a meditation on the art of biography itself. Tuckwell argues that great lives must be preserved in their full humanity, not just their public achievements. His approach—part archaeological, part artistic—sets a standard for how we remember historical figures: not as statues, but as people who laughed, argued, and lived vividly in their time.

By focusing on Kinglake’s social sparkle, Tuckwell ensures that the man is not buried under his monument, but reanimated for future generations. The Preface thus serves as both a promise and a challenge: to write biography that is as alive as its subject.

Questions

Question 1

The author’s invocation of Saul’s demand to the Witch of Endor (“Call up Samuel!”) primarily serves to:

A. underscore the supernatural power of biography to transcend death through prose.
B. critique the tendency of biographers to rely on occult or speculative methods when evidence is scarce.
C. suggest that Kinglake’s personality was so enigmatic that it requires mystical intervention to comprehend.
D. emphasize the biographer’s obligation to summon the recently dead from living memory rather than idealized reconstruction.
E. imply that Kinglake, like Samuel, was a prophetic figure whose insights remain relevant beyond his lifetime.

Question 2

The phrase “re-clothe him ‘in his habit as he lived’” most strongly implies that the biographer’s task is to:

A. fabricate a cohesive narrative from fragmented sources, much like tailoring a garment from scraps.
B. restore Kinglake’s public image by correcting misconceptions spread by his political opponents.
C. prioritize Kinglake’s sartorial eccentricities as a metaphor for his unconventional intellectual style.
D. present Kinglake’s life as a series of performative roles, each requiring a distinct “costume” of persona.
E. resurrect the immediacy of Kinglake’s lived experience, including his mannerisms and social interactions.

Question 3

The contrast between “Attic in salt” and “Roman in brevity” is primarily used to:

A. lament the decline of classical rhetorical standards in modern biography.
B. justify the exclusion of Kinglake’s more controversial or scandalous letters.
C. signal a preference for moral severity over stylistic elegance in historical writing.
D. acknowledge that the biography, while not ornately witty, is at least concise and direct.
E. argue that Kinglake’s own writing style was more aligned with Roman stoicism than Greek sophistication.

Question 4

The Latin phrase “dic in amicitiam coeant et foedera jungant” is deployed to evoke which of the following ideas?

A. The biographer’s role as a neutral arbitrator between Kinglake’s admirers and detractors.
B. The necessity of forming alliances with Kinglake’s surviving contemporaries to access private papers.
C. An invitation to the reader to enter into a relationship with Kinglake as if he were a living acquaintance.
D. The idea that Kinglake’s friendships were transactional, founded on mutual intellectual and social benefit.
E. A warning that the biography’s portrayal of Kinglake may be shaped by the biases of his inner circle.

Question 5

The passage’s closing reference to John Bunyan’s “homely aspiration” primarily functions to:

A. align Tuckwell’s modest biographical project with the spiritual simplicity of Puritan literature.
B. contrast the grandeur of Kinglake’s life with the humility of the biographer’s literary ambitions.
C. suggest that Kinglake, like Bunyan, was a writer whose work transcended his social class.
D. imply that the biography’s brevity is a virtue, much like the concise parables of Pilgrim’s Progress.
E. frame the biography as a sincere but imperfect offering, devoid of pretension yet earnest in intent.

Solutions and Explanations

1) Correct answer: D

Why D is most correct: The allusion to Saul and Samuel is not about supernatural power (A) or Kinglake’s enigmatic nature (C), but about the methodological distinction between biographies of distant figures (which require imaginative reconstruction) and those of the recently dead (which can draw on living memory). Tuckwell argues that for Kinglake, unlike Cromwell or Claverhouse, the biographer must “call up” the subject from contemporary testimony—a summoning grounded in eyewitness accounts, not idealization. This aligns with the passage’s emphasis on recovering “his habit as he lived.”