Letitia Elizabeth Landon

Born in Chelsea, Letitia Elizabeth Landon was educated at Frances Rowden's school and at home. Her first poem was published by William Jerdan in 1818, and in a few years she became the best-known contributor to his Literary Gazette, where she published under the signature "L. E. L." Many were reprinted in The Improvisatrice (1825) which went through six printings. Landon later supported herself by composing novels and contributing to the literary annuals. In 1834 an engagement to John Forster was broken off over rumors of scandal; rumor also attributed the poet's death to suicide after a brief marriage to George Maclean.

TEXT RECORDS:

1823The Female Head on the left of "The Hours."

PUBLICATIONS:

The fate of Adelaide, a Swiss romantic tale; and other poems. 1821.
The improvisatrice; and other poems. 1825.
The troubadour; catalogue of pictures, and historical sketches. 1825.
The golden violet, with its tales of romance and chivalry; and other poems. 1827.
Poetical works. 3 vols, 1827.
The Venetian bracelet, the lost Pleiad, a history of the lyre, and other poems. 1830.
Romance and teality. 3 vols, 1831.
The Easter gift: a religious offering. 1832.
Fisher's drawing room scrap book [editor and contributor]. 1832-38.
The book of beauty [sole contributor]. 1833.
Francesca Carrara. 3 vols, 1834.
Miscellaneous poetical works. 1835.
The vow of the peacock, and other poems. 1835.
Traits and trials of early life. 1836.
Ethel Churchill; or the two brides. 3 vols, 1837.
Flowers of loveliness. 1838.
Works. 2 vols, 1838.
The zenana and minor poems of Letitia Elizabeth Landon. 1839.
Poetical works. 4 vols, 1839.
Life and literary remains of Letitia Elizabeth Landon, ed. Samuel Laman Blanchard. 1841.
Poetical works. 2 vols, 1850.
Poetical works, ed. W. B. Scott. 1873.
Poetical works, ed. F. J. Sypher. 1990.
Critical writings, ed. F. J. Sypher. 1996.

PROFILE AND
ASSOCIATES:

English
Anglican

privately educated

woman writer
poet
novelist

The Literary Gazette
The New Monthly Magazine
Forget-Me-Not
Friendship's Offering
Literary Souvenir
The Amulet
Pledge of Friendship
The Bijou
The Keepsake
Juvenile Forget-Me-Not
Juvenile Keepsake

Allan Cunningham
Anna Brownell Jameson
William Jerdan
William Maginn
Mary Russell Mitford
Bryan Waller Procter
Frances Arabella Rowden

REFERENCE:

DNB; CBEL (3rd ed).

"The Literary Coterie" Repository of the Arts, Literature, &c (September, October, December 1825) 67-68, 216-17, 346-47; Alexander Dyce, Specimens of British Poetesses (1825); Alexander Dyce, Specimens of British Poetesses (1827); "Memoir of Letitia Elizabeth Landon" The Albion 5 [New York] (17 June 1837) 186-87; Henry Chorley, "Mrs Maclean" The Athenaeum (5 Jan 1839); "The last Letters of L. E. L." Gentleman's Magazine NS 11 (February 1839) 150-52; obituary in Gentleman's Magazine NS 11 (February 1839) 212-13; Samuel Laman Blanchard, Life and Literary Remains of Letitia Elizabeth Landon (1841); Sarah Sheppard, Characteristics of the Genius and Writings of Letitia Elizabeth Landon (1841); Anne Katherine Elwood, Memoirs of Literary Ladies of England (1843); Robert Chambers, Cyclopaedia of English Literature (1844); William Jerdan, in Autobiography (1852); Sarah Josepha Hale, Woman's Record (1855); John C. and Katherine B. Thomson, The Queens of Society (1860); S. C. and A. M. Hall, "Memoirs of Authors: Miss Landon" Atlantic Monthly 2 (March 1865) 330-340; S. C. Hall, in A Book of Memories (1871); E. S. Robertson, in English Poetesses (1883); Maclise Gallery (1898); D. E. Enfield, Letitia Elizabeth Landon: A Mystery of the Thirties (1928); Janet E. Courtney, "Alphabetical Graces" London Mercury 26 (August 1932) 326-338; Mary B. Whiting, "Letitia Elizabeth Landon — A Century-Old Tragedy" Congregational Quarterly 13 (July 1935) 335-345; R. Flower, "Letitia E. Landon" British Museum Quarterly 11 (1937); Lionel Stevenson, "Miss Landon, 'The Milk-and-Watery Moon of Our Darkness,' 1824-30" MLQ 8 (September 1947) 355-363; Helen Ashton, Letty Landon (1951); B. E. Metcalf, in Maclean of the Gold Coast (1962); Brenda H. Renalds, "Letitia Elizabeth Landon: A Literary Life" [Ph.D. dissertation, University of South Carolina, 1985]; G. Stephenson, Letitia Landon: the Woman behind L.E.L. (1995).

COMMENTARY RECORDS
for Letitia Elizabeth Landon:

1.	1822  Bernard Barton, "To L. E. L. on his or her Poetic Sketches in the Literary Gazette" The Literary Gazette (9 February 1822) 89.
2.	1824  John Wilson, et. al., in Blackwood's Magazine (August 1824); Noctes Ambrosianae, ed. Mackenzie (1854) 1:466-67.
3.	1824  Anonymous, Review of Landon, The Improvisatrice, and other Poems; The Star (16 July 1824).
4.	1825  An Englishwoman, "To the Improvisatrice" The New Times (7 April 1825).
5.	1827  A., "On Miss Landon's Poetry" Living Poets of England: Specimens of the Living British Poets (1827) 2:496-97.
6.	1827  R. W., "To L. E. L. The Improvatrice" Morning Post (11 January 1825).
7.	1835 ca.  Emma Catherine Embury, "Twelve Years Ago" Poems (1869) 258-60.
8.	1839  Anonymous, "Biography. Mrs. George Maclean" The Literary Gazette (5 January 1839).
9.	1839  Mrs. Cornwell Baron Wilson, "Elegiac Tribute to the Memory of L. E. L." New Monthly Magazine 55 (January 1839) 194-95.
10.	1845  Hannah Flagg Gould, "The Grave of L. E. L." Gathered Leaves (1846) 121-23.
11.	1853  Frederic Rowton, in Female Poets of Great Britian (1853) 424-27.
12.	1854  Robert Shelton Mackenzie, Note in Noctes Ambrosianae, ed. Mackenzie (1854) 1:466-67n.
13.	1855  Sarah Josepha Hale, Woman's Record; or, Sketches of all Distinguished Women (1852; 1855) 382-84.

BIOGRAPHY RECORDS
for Letitia Elizabeth Landon:

1.	1839  Anonymous, Obituary in Gentleman's Magazine NS 11 (February 1839) 212-13.
2.	1843  Anne Katherine Elwood, in Memoirs of the Literary Ladies of England (1843) 2:304-32.
3.	1844  Robert Chambers, in Cyclopaedia of English Literature (1844; 1850) 2:449.
4.	1847  William Howitt, "L. E. L." Homes and Haunts of the Most Eminent British Poets (1847) 2:125-44.
5.	1883  William Bates, after William Maginn; Maclise Gallery (1883; 1898) 200-05.

AUTHOR AS CRITIC:
(commentary records)

1.	1823  John Macken:   Letitia Elizabeth Landon, "The Harp of the Desert — Fitz Adam" The Literary Gazette (28 June 1823) 412.
2.	1824  John Keats:   Letitia Elizabeth Landon, "Lines on seeing a Portrait of Keats" The Examiner (12 September 1824) 581.
3.	1825  Alaric Alexander Watts:   Letitia Elizabeth Landon, "To Alaric A. Watts, Esq." Literary Magnet 4 (1825) 215.
4.	1835 ca.  William Maginn:   Letitia Elizabeth Landon to Anna Maria Hall, 1835 ca.; in S. C. Hall, A Book of Memories: Great Men and Women of the Age, from personal Acquaintance (1871) 276-77.