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The Poet and the Vampyre: The Curse of Byron and the Birth of Literature's Greatest Monsters
In the spring of 1816, Lord Byron was the greatest poet of his generation and the most famous man in Britain, but his personal life was about to erupt. Fleeing his celebrity, notoriety, and debts, he sought refuge in Europe, taking his young doctor with him. As an inexperienced medic with literary aspirations of his own, Doctor John Polidori could not believe his luck.
That summer another literary star also arrived in Geneva. With Percy Bysshe Shelley came his lover, Mary, and her step-sister, Claire Clairmont. For the next three months, this party of young bohemians shared their lives, charged with sexual and artistic tensions. It was a period of extraordinary creativity: Mary Shelley started writing Frankenstein, the gothic masterpiece of Romantic fiction; Byron completed Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage, his epic poem; and Polidori would begin The Vampyre, the first great vampire novel.
It was also a time of remarkable drama and emotional turmoil. For Byron and the Shelleys, their stay by the lake would serve to immortalize them in the annals of literary history. But for Claire and Polidori, the Swiss sojourn would scar them forever.
That summer another literary star also arrived in Geneva. With Percy Bysshe Shelley came his lover, Mary, and her step-sister, Claire Clairmont. For the next three months, this party of young bohemians shared their lives, charged with sexual and artistic tensions. It was a period of extraordinary creativity: Mary Shelley started writing Frankenstein, the gothic masterpiece of Romantic fiction; Byron completed Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage, his epic poem; and Polidori would begin The Vampyre, the first great vampire novel.
It was also a time of remarkable drama and emotional turmoil. For Byron and the Shelleys, their stay by the lake would serve to immortalize them in the annals of literary history. But for Claire and Polidori, the Swiss sojourn would scar them forever.
464 pages, Hardcover
First published September 15, 2014
About the author
Andrew McConnell Stott
20 books5 followersAndrew McConnell Stott is the author of The Pantomime Life of Joseph Grimaldi, which won the Royal Society of Literature Prize, the Sheridan Morley Prize for Theatre Biography, and was a Guardian Best Book of the Year. The Poet and the Vampyre is his first book to be published in America. In 2011, Stott was named a Fellow at the New York Public Library’s Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers. He is a Professor of English at the University of Buffalo, SUNY.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews
October 20, 2014
I really enjoyed this book, but then again, I have a strange fascination with the Romantic period. I never can figure out why so many women went insane for Byron and Shelley, (but then again, Justin Beiber...) so I read all the books I can find about these people, just looking for some clue. These men were SUCH jerks, it absolutely baffles me, why intelligent women would LITERALLY throw themselves at them.
The other amusing this is this: There is nothing new under the sun. Free Love, Communism, etc... I keep flashing forward to other "daring" ages, those of the sixties, and these of the "progressive" and modern hipster. Look, sunshine, it's been done before and with way more flash and drama than you could ever dream of!
I enjoyed reading about the poor Polidori, also. I only have one teeny complaint. I didn't love the way it was laid out. I had to keep flipping back and forth to get my bearings where the year was concerned. It is not chronologically written, so it was difficult to follow in that way. Not a book to read on your kindle.
Still, I highly recommend this. Kept my interest throughout!
The other amusing this is this: There is nothing new under the sun. Free Love, Communism, etc... I keep flashing forward to other "daring" ages, those of the sixties, and these of the "progressive" and modern hipster. Look, sunshine, it's been done before and with way more flash and drama than you could ever dream of!
I enjoyed reading about the poor Polidori, also. I only have one teeny complaint. I didn't love the way it was laid out. I had to keep flipping back and forth to get my bearings where the year was concerned. It is not chronologically written, so it was difficult to follow in that way. Not a book to read on your kindle.
Still, I highly recommend this. Kept my interest throughout!
September 25, 2014
Thrilling? Inspired? Please. Did the reviewers actually READ this book? Informative, yes. Interesting, yes. Thrilling? Hardly.
I can tell you that Andrew McConnell Stott, the author of The Poet and the Vampyre certainly is a reader. He must have read every scribble in the copious letters, journals, and other literaria produced by the literary icons traveling through this narrative. He insists on taking us to every village, and down every twisting path and pigtrail Byron and his physician, John Polidori traverse traveling to Geneva where they join Percy Shelley, his mistress Mary and her step-sister Claire Clairmont, engage in literary and sexual dalliances and then travel on...and on...and on...
A little less tramping would make the book much more palatable.
I've had the theory that Lord Byron was the author of Frankenstein, considering the sleeping-around that was going on during that Geneva adventure when Percy Byshe Shelley and Mary, Claire Godwin, Lord Byron, and John Polidori engaged in the spook-tale competition that resulted in the creation of both Frankenstein and The Vampyre, but this book lays that suspicion to rest. Mary Shelley was the only one of the five to continue her work over a period of time long after the group had gone apart. Unfortunately, that competition is the pivotal event upon which the story hangs, but it comes and goes with a yawn before the book is half over and then they are all off tramping across Europe again, seeing the sights and paying the price for their liaisons.
The book is informative and would be a refreshing read for an underclass English Lit major adept at skipping all the scenery, a sort of a pop-scholar text. It could have been a really interesting and unique travel book, if that had been the emphasis, with juicy anecdotes sprinkled throughout. It could have been a much tighter psychological exploration, had the interminable journeys been more carefully chosen for inclusion. But it takes on the character of Polidori as it progresses, harem-scarem through the narrative, a little full of itself, and totally ineffectual, even as it informs.
I've read heavy scholarly tomes in less time and with less effort, but still feel I've gained much insight into the writers and their times. The book is not a waste, but the reader must be determined to stay with it to gain benefit.
The man needed an editor.
I can tell you that Andrew McConnell Stott, the author of The Poet and the Vampyre certainly is a reader. He must have read every scribble in the copious letters, journals, and other literaria produced by the literary icons traveling through this narrative. He insists on taking us to every village, and down every twisting path and pigtrail Byron and his physician, John Polidori traverse traveling to Geneva where they join Percy Shelley, his mistress Mary and her step-sister Claire Clairmont, engage in literary and sexual dalliances and then travel on...and on...and on...
A little less tramping would make the book much more palatable.
I've had the theory that Lord Byron was the author of Frankenstein, considering the sleeping-around that was going on during that Geneva adventure when Percy Byshe Shelley and Mary, Claire Godwin, Lord Byron, and John Polidori engaged in the spook-tale competition that resulted in the creation of both Frankenstein and The Vampyre, but this book lays that suspicion to rest. Mary Shelley was the only one of the five to continue her work over a period of time long after the group had gone apart. Unfortunately, that competition is the pivotal event upon which the story hangs, but it comes and goes with a yawn before the book is half over and then they are all off tramping across Europe again, seeing the sights and paying the price for their liaisons.
The book is informative and would be a refreshing read for an underclass English Lit major adept at skipping all the scenery, a sort of a pop-scholar text. It could have been a really interesting and unique travel book, if that had been the emphasis, with juicy anecdotes sprinkled throughout. It could have been a much tighter psychological exploration, had the interminable journeys been more carefully chosen for inclusion. But it takes on the character of Polidori as it progresses, harem-scarem through the narrative, a little full of itself, and totally ineffectual, even as it informs.
I've read heavy scholarly tomes in less time and with less effort, but still feel I've gained much insight into the writers and their times. The book is not a waste, but the reader must be determined to stay with it to gain benefit.
The man needed an editor.
October 15, 2014
how could the birth of gothic horror in literature in the 19th century be anything other than fascinating?
November 3, 2014
Vampyres have been around for centuries if not millennia. Traditionally they were portrayed as decaying corpses come to life only to drink blood and then hide back in their grave. John Polidori’s story changed all that and the vampire became an aristocratic figure full of charm and seduction. The birth of this new vampire coincided with the firth of a new kind of monster one created by man.
John Polidori, who wrote, “ The Vampyre” was trained traditionally to be a doctor. Forced by his Italian immigrant father to study medicine, the London born John first studied in Amplworth and then wnet to medical school in Edinburgh. Some things macabre jump out from this experience. To understand the anatomy medical students used to steal corpses from the local cemetery and cover up their crime so they would have something to work with.
Upon graduating from medical school, John Polidori became the physician to a fallen Aristocrat named Lord Byron. Lord Byron skyrocketed to fame with his poem “The Child Harolde” In this sudden rise to fame Lord Byron womanized, drank and held outrageous parties. Whenhe got married to Anna Milbanke the marriage lasted but two to three years. She filed for divorce and the rumors spread like wild fire. Lord Byron left for the European continent. Taking off by boat with John Polidori the two toured the countryside of France and Luxemborg going all the way to Geneva. The country was ravages by war with Napoleon and Austria.
It was in Geneva at Lake Leman in Switzerland that Lord Byron was slated to meet with Claire Clairmont, step sister of Mary Shelly. Mary Shelly was famous for writing “Frankenstein.” Her real name though was Mary Godwin. Wolstonecraft was the name of her grandmother. The family was of political free thinkers and feminists. Mr. Shelley her husband eloped with her leaving his first wife Harriet behind.
At the in a Villa called “Diodati” the group of people explored literary ideas, experienced boredom and had their dalliances. One such union was between Lord Byron and Claire. It produced a child but Byron would not recognize he child nor acknowledge it. One day they were all bored and decided to have a ghost story writing contest. This contest produced “Frankenstein” and the Vampyre.
The Vampyre was inspired by Lord Byron. He was a charming womanizer with a streak of cruelty. He lead a debaucherous life and was quite egocentric. While Polidor’s Vampyre story would hit big time he would barely scrape by. After being released from Lord Byron’s service he traveled Italy and wnet about Europe trying to procure employment. Lord Byron settled in Venice and sent his daughter via Claire to a nunnery where she dies of neglect. Lord Byron would die in 1824 helping the Greeks against the Turks. John Polidoria would die in his sleep a debt ridden wreck and the Shelley’s had a somewhat normal life. Claire eneded up dying in her 80’s shaken by her life experiences.
Awesome book especially if one wants a glimpse into the debauched life of the poet. It is not all riches and glory and the writing life is not always the best. Love the book though it is about the author not the vampires themselves.
John Polidori, who wrote, “ The Vampyre” was trained traditionally to be a doctor. Forced by his Italian immigrant father to study medicine, the London born John first studied in Amplworth and then wnet to medical school in Edinburgh. Some things macabre jump out from this experience. To understand the anatomy medical students used to steal corpses from the local cemetery and cover up their crime so they would have something to work with.
Upon graduating from medical school, John Polidori became the physician to a fallen Aristocrat named Lord Byron. Lord Byron skyrocketed to fame with his poem “The Child Harolde” In this sudden rise to fame Lord Byron womanized, drank and held outrageous parties. Whenhe got married to Anna Milbanke the marriage lasted but two to three years. She filed for divorce and the rumors spread like wild fire. Lord Byron left for the European continent. Taking off by boat with John Polidori the two toured the countryside of France and Luxemborg going all the way to Geneva. The country was ravages by war with Napoleon and Austria.
It was in Geneva at Lake Leman in Switzerland that Lord Byron was slated to meet with Claire Clairmont, step sister of Mary Shelly. Mary Shelly was famous for writing “Frankenstein.” Her real name though was Mary Godwin. Wolstonecraft was the name of her grandmother. The family was of political free thinkers and feminists. Mr. Shelley her husband eloped with her leaving his first wife Harriet behind.
At the in a Villa called “Diodati” the group of people explored literary ideas, experienced boredom and had their dalliances. One such union was between Lord Byron and Claire. It produced a child but Byron would not recognize he child nor acknowledge it. One day they were all bored and decided to have a ghost story writing contest. This contest produced “Frankenstein” and the Vampyre.
The Vampyre was inspired by Lord Byron. He was a charming womanizer with a streak of cruelty. He lead a debaucherous life and was quite egocentric. While Polidor’s Vampyre story would hit big time he would barely scrape by. After being released from Lord Byron’s service he traveled Italy and wnet about Europe trying to procure employment. Lord Byron settled in Venice and sent his daughter via Claire to a nunnery where she dies of neglect. Lord Byron would die in 1824 helping the Greeks against the Turks. John Polidoria would die in his sleep a debt ridden wreck and the Shelley’s had a somewhat normal life. Claire eneded up dying in her 80’s shaken by her life experiences.
Awesome book especially if one wants a glimpse into the debauched life of the poet. It is not all riches and glory and the writing life is not always the best. Love the book though it is about the author not the vampires themselves.
November 13, 2019
A wonderful, well-written journey with two of the worst people you could imagine (three, really, but in context Polidori is almost sympathetic). I loved being in this wondrous world, though, in all its tumult.
Emotionally, these people exhausted me. There were so many inexplicable fits of suicidal despair that you couldn't help but wonder how any of these people lived to middle age. Oh wait.
Emotionally, these people exhausted me. There were so many inexplicable fits of suicidal despair that you couldn't help but wonder how any of these people lived to middle age. Oh wait.
November 3, 2014
Funny story. This book was on the fiction shelf at my local library. I started reading it, and found myself trying to wrap my mind around the story as fiction because, while the author's style was entertaining,it just didn't quite read like a proper novel. Then I wised up and realized that I was reading a biography! And, a good one! Poets Alfred Lord Byron, John Polidori and Percy Bysshe Shelley were the bad boys of the early 19th century, followed passionately by their groupie girlfriends and haunted by papparazzi, or what stood in for papparazzi in those days. They were rock stars and their behavior and personalities were larger than life. In another century, they would have hung out with Warhol and Patti Smith. Despite their everlasting reputations as poets, deified in countless Romantic Lit classes across the globe, they were actually not very nice. Kind of mean. Selfish, self-centered and self-absorbed pretty much describes the three amigos. And, the ladies. Oh my.
Stott does a wonderful job in recreating the world that gave birth to a literary movement, as well as the immortal creation of Frankenstein, penned by Shelley's wife, the redoubtable Mary. Her step-sister, Claire Clairmont is the consummate groupie. She throws herself at the leader of this group of twenty-somethings, Lord Byron, bearing him an ill-fated daughter. In the end, she is the only one who has the stamina to actually survive the group.
A most readable book--even if it really isn't fiction.
Stott does a wonderful job in recreating the world that gave birth to a literary movement, as well as the immortal creation of Frankenstein, penned by Shelley's wife, the redoubtable Mary. Her step-sister, Claire Clairmont is the consummate groupie. She throws herself at the leader of this group of twenty-somethings, Lord Byron, bearing him an ill-fated daughter. In the end, she is the only one who has the stamina to actually survive the group.
A most readable book--even if it really isn't fiction.
January 25, 2015
Three things you never want to tell people how they're made: laws, sausages, and classic monster novels. That sums up my experience with Andrew McConnell Stott's book The Poet and the Vampyre. I suspect many of us interested in this topic like to imagine Lord Byron et al gathered in a gothic castle on the coast of Lake Geneva during a midnight storm. The snowy Alps tower over them. Bathed in candlelight the Romantics sit rapt as, if by revelation, the thrilling character of Frankenstein's Monster is born. Oh, and there is probably a crackling fireplace reflecting bloodlike off glasses of red wine. The images in my mind are all delightfully spooky and sexy.
Yet, as Stott's rigorously logistical account demonstrates, the summer of 1816 saw a group of talented yet chronically privileged and self-interested young adults make poor life choices and almost, or in some cases actually, ruin themselves. Frankly, with all of the personal melodrama, financial headaches, and illnesses enveloping the writers, it is a miracle that works like Frankenstein and Childe Harold's Pilgrimage were ever written.
The genesis of Mary Shelley's monster novel is almost a footnote in The Poet and the Vampyre. Stott focuses a great deal on timeline and itinerary for Byron, Shelley, and two of their entourage who failed to achieve historical prominance. As such this book offers much reference value for Byron enthusiasts such as myself. Yet when it comes to pondering the emotional ramifications for the Romantic ensemble, this book generally maintains academic detachment. Top priority remains imparting the facts in a straightforward, even workaday, fashion.
Choices were made on such and such a date. Reputations were ruined during such and such a time period. Innocent children were dragged along at the expense of their health and well-being according to various documents. And yes, great literature was written and shipped back to England for publication. All of this is recounted carefully and clearly with dates and places cited. If it all feels impersonal, that is no accident. Stott dutifully recounts the areas and people of the Romantics' lives that were neglected or cast off outright while they focused on their creativity. The classic literature they created is not the focus here. This choice, while dry, is not without merit.
Childe Harold's Pilgrimage, Canto 3, may be my favorite work of poetry ever. The Poet and the Vampyre gave me a much better understanding of the goings on in Byron's circle at the time he wrote it. I was left feeling more disenchanted with Byron the man, as well as Percy Shelley, and Mary for that matter. When one considers the cataclysmic effect their volatile lifestyles had on lesser known family and associates, all three seem dangerous to know. Their works, for me at least, become something to read with a bit more sobriety instead of unbridled adoration.
I recommend The Poet and the Vampyre to people who have already experienced the major works of Byron and the Shelleys. Rather than a handy introduction, this book becomes a means to delve into the minutia of their time together. If the resulting account feels less entrancing than the famed literature in question, that may be one of the great, if disillusioning, lessons of Romanticism.
Yet, as Stott's rigorously logistical account demonstrates, the summer of 1816 saw a group of talented yet chronically privileged and self-interested young adults make poor life choices and almost, or in some cases actually, ruin themselves. Frankly, with all of the personal melodrama, financial headaches, and illnesses enveloping the writers, it is a miracle that works like Frankenstein and Childe Harold's Pilgrimage were ever written.
The genesis of Mary Shelley's monster novel is almost a footnote in The Poet and the Vampyre. Stott focuses a great deal on timeline and itinerary for Byron, Shelley, and two of their entourage who failed to achieve historical prominance. As such this book offers much reference value for Byron enthusiasts such as myself. Yet when it comes to pondering the emotional ramifications for the Romantic ensemble, this book generally maintains academic detachment. Top priority remains imparting the facts in a straightforward, even workaday, fashion.
Choices were made on such and such a date. Reputations were ruined during such and such a time period. Innocent children were dragged along at the expense of their health and well-being according to various documents. And yes, great literature was written and shipped back to England for publication. All of this is recounted carefully and clearly with dates and places cited. If it all feels impersonal, that is no accident. Stott dutifully recounts the areas and people of the Romantics' lives that were neglected or cast off outright while they focused on their creativity. The classic literature they created is not the focus here. This choice, while dry, is not without merit.
Childe Harold's Pilgrimage, Canto 3, may be my favorite work of poetry ever. The Poet and the Vampyre gave me a much better understanding of the goings on in Byron's circle at the time he wrote it. I was left feeling more disenchanted with Byron the man, as well as Percy Shelley, and Mary for that matter. When one considers the cataclysmic effect their volatile lifestyles had on lesser known family and associates, all three seem dangerous to know. Their works, for me at least, become something to read with a bit more sobriety instead of unbridled adoration.
I recommend The Poet and the Vampyre to people who have already experienced the major works of Byron and the Shelleys. Rather than a handy introduction, this book becomes a means to delve into the minutia of their time together. If the resulting account feels less entrancing than the famed literature in question, that may be one of the great, if disillusioning, lessons of Romanticism.
December 23, 2014
I wanted to like this book. I really, really did want to like it as I read, and mostly enjoy, nineteenth century Gothic literature and books about the genre. This book, however, tantalized about how it would be about the Swiss retreat which led to the creation of some of the defining literature for the genre, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and John Polidori’s The Vampyre. What it actually turned out to be is a cross between tedious travelogue and a biography of Lord Byron. Byron is the principal focus throughout the book, though we do learn about the fallout of the highly sexual and scandalous retreat for the others who were there, but in many ways this is an exceedingly detailed and exceedingly boring book about Lord Byron. I found myself soon skimming the book trying to find the interesting bits about the development of Gothic literature amongst the tons of unrelated details. I can not recommend this book to anyone but literary scholars focusing on Lord Byron.
March 1, 2015
Either fortunately or unfortunately, depending on why one picks up the book, there is very little here about the writing of Frankenstein or The Vampyre. Indeed, the Villa Diodati incident(s) are barely discussed. This is why a book that is well-written and exceedingly well-researched receives a low score from me--the description lead me to believe the opposite would be true in both cases. Scott's aim, rather, is to explore the lives of those who live near to fame, and to see what that nearness does in terms of damage. An interesting subject, to be sure, but not why I picked up the book.
So, if you are already very familiar with the lives of Byron and of the Shelleys, and your interest is more biographical than literary, this is a fantastic book. Those looking for something more involved with literary creation and artistic drive re: Frankenstein and/or The Vampyre should find a different book.
So, if you are already very familiar with the lives of Byron and of the Shelleys, and your interest is more biographical than literary, this is a fantastic book. Those looking for something more involved with literary creation and artistic drive re: Frankenstein and/or The Vampyre should find a different book.
May 5, 2015
While I'm only 3 quarters of the way though, I'm pretty sure this volume isn't going to change gears at this point. A sober exploration of the famous and fascinating entourage of romantics that helped spawn Mary Shelley's Frankenstein as well as Byron's Childe Harold. Perhaps most interesting here is the story of good Doctor P., a physician who accompanies Byron on his travels and is generally the odd man out among this group of flawed luminaries. You're either interested in this milieu or you're not, but if you are it's more of a 4 star title.
December 26, 2014
I grabbed this at the library on a whim when I was looking for something else. Gracefully written, entertaining, and a nice corrective to that novel about the Shelleys I recently read that basically accused Mary of murdering most of her children to keep Shelley's attention. Focused on the peripheral characters of the story, Dr Polidori and Claire Clairmont, which rounded things out nicely. From all appearances they were both pathetic and a little crazy...
February 20, 2016
This book was pretty fascinating, but definitely for the literati.
March 3, 2020
Back in 2014 I read a book called The Seven Lives of John Murray which gave a somewhat one-sided description of Lord Byron (keeping in mind his relationship to the publishing house and its publisher). However, I still felt I had a pretty firm grasp on the man and his relationship to Percy Shelley. And then I read The Poet and the Vampyre: The Curse of Byron and the Birth of Literature's Greatest Monsters by Andrew McConnell Stott. The author primarily uses historical material from two people who knew Byron and the Shelley's well (and kept detailed diaries and letters): Claire Clairmont (Mary's step sister) and John Polidori (Byron's physician). Because John Murray's relationship to Byron was mainly a professional one the veil wasn't quite lifted as to what sort of a man he really was and I'm sorry to tell you this but he was a mean-spirited bully. Much of Byron's suffering was of his own making and he made sure to share the wealth with others. He drew creative people to him like a moth to a flame but they were undoubtedly going to be burnt once they got too close. I especially felt sorry for Mary and her sister Claire. Claire was totally besotted with Byron and much like the other women in his life when she became a yoke around his neck he discarded her. (Don't even get me started on the child they had together.) Poor Mary suffered just as much if not more so than her sister. There was so much loss her in her life, ya'll. (Rather than spoil all the history I'll leave it at that to whet your appetite.) Now John Polidori was a name I don't recall ever seeing before but as an aspiring writer and devotee of Byron he of course did not make it away from him unscathed. [A/N: I should point out that there all being together happened during one summer and yet it makes for a lot of historical material especially considering the correspondence that flowed between them afterwards.]
All in all, this was a very interesting historical novel which gave a much less biased depiction of the major players than what I had already read. Honestly, my one complaint is that I felt there was no one central character in this book which made it feel somewhat unmoored. Is this a book about Byron or a book about Shelley? Either way, neither one comes out especially smelling like roses (although Shelley would be my choice any day of the week over that scoundrel Byron). 9/10
*By the way, this book was generously sent to me from my cooler than cool friend Katie who works as an editor over at Pegasus Books. Thanks for always looking out, Katie! (Obviously, this in no way influenced my review but I do appreciate the free lit.)*
All in all, this was a very interesting historical novel which gave a much less biased depiction of the major players than what I had already read. Honestly, my one complaint is that I felt there was no one central character in this book which made it feel somewhat unmoored. Is this a book about Byron or a book about Shelley? Either way, neither one comes out especially smelling like roses (although Shelley would be my choice any day of the week over that scoundrel Byron). 9/10
*By the way, this book was generously sent to me from my cooler than cool friend Katie who works as an editor over at Pegasus Books. Thanks for always looking out, Katie! (Obviously, this in no way influenced my review but I do appreciate the free lit.)*
April 14, 2020
This title goes into the history of Lord Byron and the like minded individuals that spent time with him during his literary heyday. Included in that group was Percy Shelley, Mary Shelley, Claire Clairmont and John Polidori. While the story revolves around Byron, it is actually a closer view of Polidori and Clairmont, two people who found themselves on the edge of this circle of friends. They witness and participate in some of the major events (including the night that led to the creation of Frankenstein) but often find themselves shunned by the group due to their social status and conflicts within the group.
This was an interesting read that illuminated a lot of the history of these writers. Many of the key players wind up with a little less of a shine to their legacy after reading this. I found myself pitying John and Claire as their lives were swept up and then swept aside. I also found the beginning of the book a little hard to follow as it seemed to bounce back and forth in the timeline.
Knowing only the very basics of the lives of Byron and the Shelleys (and encountering Polidori only through an episode of Doctor Who) this was a great introduction to those people who have all but vanished from literary history.
This was an interesting read that illuminated a lot of the history of these writers. Many of the key players wind up with a little less of a shine to their legacy after reading this. I found myself pitying John and Claire as their lives were swept up and then swept aside. I also found the beginning of the book a little hard to follow as it seemed to bounce back and forth in the timeline.
Knowing only the very basics of the lives of Byron and the Shelleys (and encountering Polidori only through an episode of Doctor Who) this was a great introduction to those people who have all but vanished from literary history.
March 13, 2018
I was delighted when I came across this book at my local library. The topic of the evening when a number of famous individuals (including Percy & Mary Shelley, Dr. Polidori, and Lord Byron) got together in Switzerland to tell each other scary stories (only Mary Shelley's Story, which became Frankenstein, and Dr. Polidori's "Vampyre" story, were ever completed or published) - well, it's an event I've read a lot about and have always been a bit fascinated with. I have seen movies based on that night. So I was excited. But this book . . . it meanders. It wanders. It only tangentially touches upon the topics that are allegedly the theme of the book. It seems meticulously researched, but all of that research goes . . . nowhere? Well, somewhere, I guess, but it wanders all around before it gets there, and seems surprised at its destination when it arrives. I don't know. Sadly disappoined.
August 7, 2018
The title is certainly misleading. I supposed the book was going to be about how Polidori's vampire story came into being and how it related to the romantic writers such as the Shelleys and Byron. However, it was primarily a biography of the romantics during their years together. In all, the book was fascinating and I enjoyed it. It gave insight into what influenced these writers and how their experiences shaped their writings. It was an interesting behind the scenes so-to-speak look into the minds and frustrations of these authors. However, mention of Polidori's vampire story is limited to about ten of the 300+ pages.
August 11, 2018
This is satisfyingly entertaining historical account of the connections between Lord Byron, Percy and Mary Shelley, John Polidori, and Claire Clairmont. While not another retelling of the famous night where Byron suggests to the others that they all write a ghost story, it does go into great depth of the history and relationships between the five of them. Reading this book definitely had me scratching down notes of other poems and stories that I wanted to revisit after reading The Poet and the Vampire.
June 10, 2017
just completed this book,my first of this genre.i found it an easy introduction to byron and to the events leading up to during and afterwards at the villa diodati.the events written by some other authors tend to rely on the more salacious aspect of byron and a spin on the events at the villa.this book gave a more perceptive insight on a more human level.
September 7, 2019
Informative, but not breaking any new ground that can’t be found in any good biography of the Shelleys or Byron. There’s not enough here about Polidori and his writing of The Vampyre to justify the title, and as Stott notes his indebtedness to a biography of Polidori, I’m not sure what the point of this volume is. Stott writes well, but this book is primarily redundant in Romantic studies.
August 6, 2018
This is a fantastic book. Well-researched and engaging.
May 23, 2019
Good but his other book The Vampire family is exactly the same but with a different cover
August 12, 2019
Reshelving to be read at a later date.
I don't think I'll finish this before I have to return to school. My copy is a library book so I'll just check it out later.
I don't think I'll finish this before I have to return to school. My copy is a library book so I'll just check it out later.
March 3, 2024
informational, but hardly thrilling or fantastic
May 27, 2021
the synopsis on the back cover leads you to believe the book is largely about the creation on The Vampyre and Frankenstein but really there is next to nothing about them, especially Frankenstein. I tried to say interested but it just shows you what stuck up assholes they all were.
March 14, 2017
Straightforward biographic portrait of these super-stars of Literature and the Romantic movement. Accessible language, elegant and easy for me to read. Unusual in that it includes much about John Polidori, usually left out of, or glossed over in other such accounts. A worthwhile addition to the Romantic Era shelf. Not much theory or speculation on the nature of monsters and the condition of Modernity, which I was somehow led to expect, so, there's that.
March 11, 2016
Lord Byron’s flamboyant and notorious reputation marks him as one of the best known of the Romantics. He was both lauded and reviled during his own lifetime for his excesses, including massive debt, scores of affairs with both men and women and rumors of a scandal regarding his own half-sister. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest British poets, despite the scandalous reputation that haunted him. Although this book suggests that it was his wife who fed the rumor mill in an attempt to retain custody of their child, it is my belief that there was enough truth regarding his antics to lead a person to believe just about anything that was said about him. He was no angel, that is for certain, but it is possible that some of the things that were said of him weren’t the whole truth.
I was interested to read some background on the infamous Dr. John Polidori. What I found the most fascinating was how many, if not most, of the young people of their generation were forced into situations that were more pleasing to their parents than to themselves. It seems that their parents were given an excessive amount of control over their children’s lives, the likes of which our parents today do not enjoy. John’s father made him attend medical school. He wasn’t particularly drawn to medicine, but obviously made the best of his situation. It seems to me if they weren’t being forced into a career, they were being forced into loveless marital alliances, the purpose, it would appear, was to strengthen the wealthy family and bolster their dwindling coffers. All in all, it seemed that both Lord Byron and Dr. Polidori were ripe for each other at a time in their lives when for different reasons; they found themselves in need of the other.
Another aspect of that era that got me thinking was that this time the Shelley’s spent with the good doctor and the poet gave birth to one of the most memorable characters of the horror genre. If they had been born in any other time, such as now, they might have been too busy playing video games, texting on their cell phones or engaging in any number of more modern pursuits, but because it all took place when it did, they were forced to make their own fun; to spend their time creatively, engaging with each other face to face and making the best of a bleak time. I find that fascinating. Frankenstein might not have been written if the weather had been better…if they had some other activity to pursue. The setting was perfect; the players were all in place. A monster was born during the year without a summer, as 1816 became known. It was the perfect storm.
Another story that was written at that time, by Dr. Polidori, The Vampyre, became the inspiration for the most popular of all vampire stories ever written, Bram Stoker’s novel, Dracula. What had started out as a gathering of some unconventional young people turned into something so much more. It was a crucial point in the genre and in the lives of these people as well. I’m sure that at the time they had no idea that their little midnight game was a stone thrown in the pond that rippled out well beyond those four walls.
What I liked about this book is that it is about more than Lord Byron, it’s about his circle of friends and how their lives were all changed after their stay by the lake. Claire Clairmont, Mary’s step sister was involved intimately with Byron and her relationship with him and with Shelley set her on a collision course with her own mixed up emotions. Even Dr. Polidori was deeply influenced by his time with Byron and their stay at the Villa Diodati.
Lord Byron was a catalyst for all of this, the match that lit the kindling that set the world on fire. A man who knew no boundaries, Lord Byron lived by a different set of rules than those of the conventional men of his time. He was many things to many people, and most of all, an enigma even to himself and those closest to him. Byron was a brilliant poet and an uneasy soul.
If you have any interest in the poet himself, or of the time period or of those from his closest, most intimate circle, I suggest this book. It is non-fiction, yet didn’t become dull for me or text-bookish. It was well researched, flowed nicely and gave me more than I had imagined it would. What I thought would be a book just about Byron took me on a journey not only through his life, but the lives of his intimates as well.
I was interested to read some background on the infamous Dr. John Polidori. What I found the most fascinating was how many, if not most, of the young people of their generation were forced into situations that were more pleasing to their parents than to themselves. It seems that their parents were given an excessive amount of control over their children’s lives, the likes of which our parents today do not enjoy. John’s father made him attend medical school. He wasn’t particularly drawn to medicine, but obviously made the best of his situation. It seems to me if they weren’t being forced into a career, they were being forced into loveless marital alliances, the purpose, it would appear, was to strengthen the wealthy family and bolster their dwindling coffers. All in all, it seemed that both Lord Byron and Dr. Polidori were ripe for each other at a time in their lives when for different reasons; they found themselves in need of the other.
Another aspect of that era that got me thinking was that this time the Shelley’s spent with the good doctor and the poet gave birth to one of the most memorable characters of the horror genre. If they had been born in any other time, such as now, they might have been too busy playing video games, texting on their cell phones or engaging in any number of more modern pursuits, but because it all took place when it did, they were forced to make their own fun; to spend their time creatively, engaging with each other face to face and making the best of a bleak time. I find that fascinating. Frankenstein might not have been written if the weather had been better…if they had some other activity to pursue. The setting was perfect; the players were all in place. A monster was born during the year without a summer, as 1816 became known. It was the perfect storm.
Another story that was written at that time, by Dr. Polidori, The Vampyre, became the inspiration for the most popular of all vampire stories ever written, Bram Stoker’s novel, Dracula. What had started out as a gathering of some unconventional young people turned into something so much more. It was a crucial point in the genre and in the lives of these people as well. I’m sure that at the time they had no idea that their little midnight game was a stone thrown in the pond that rippled out well beyond those four walls.
What I liked about this book is that it is about more than Lord Byron, it’s about his circle of friends and how their lives were all changed after their stay by the lake. Claire Clairmont, Mary’s step sister was involved intimately with Byron and her relationship with him and with Shelley set her on a collision course with her own mixed up emotions. Even Dr. Polidori was deeply influenced by his time with Byron and their stay at the Villa Diodati.
Lord Byron was a catalyst for all of this, the match that lit the kindling that set the world on fire. A man who knew no boundaries, Lord Byron lived by a different set of rules than those of the conventional men of his time. He was many things to many people, and most of all, an enigma even to himself and those closest to him. Byron was a brilliant poet and an uneasy soul.
If you have any interest in the poet himself, or of the time period or of those from his closest, most intimate circle, I suggest this book. It is non-fiction, yet didn’t become dull for me or text-bookish. It was well researched, flowed nicely and gave me more than I had imagined it would. What I thought would be a book just about Byron took me on a journey not only through his life, but the lives of his intimates as well.
September 20, 2021
A very interesting and informative read, though boy was it a slog. I was also a bit disappointed that the climax of the books seemed to be the horror story competition that inspired Frankenstein and The Vampyre, yet that moment happened in the blink of an eye and was quickly passed. It seems like that could have been fleshed out more, though perhaps there just isn’t much actual evidence of what transpired that night. Overall, I’m sure it’d be fascinating for anyone who is curious about the lives of these romantic authors, and it’s a fun read to note just how similar their lives can be to the interests of today.
August 30, 2023
While the writing was good, the story itself was tedious.
February 8, 2016
The Poet and the Vampyre ( The Curse of Byron and the Birth of Literature’s Greatest Monsters) by Andrew McConnell Scott
I agree with the general consensus that the title and subtitle of this book is somewhat misleading. I really expected the focus to be on that enclave of writers in Geneva in the summer of 1816; where Mary Shelly began Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus and Doctor John Polidori began The Vampyre. Byron did complete Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage, but the other’s stories or poems did not survive the test of time.
The absolute thrill of those days at the Villa Diodati by Lake Geneva, Switzerland would have been great as they bounced ideas off each other and the tales of horror grew. This is more Byron and less on the creation process of the monsters.
Even focusing only on Lord Byron’s descent from world class poet to madman dying of syphilis, the book had the potential to be something amazing. This book contains a lot of information, yet it is the type of book one would expect as required reading for a collage course.
I was disappointed with the book, yet I cannot dismiss it completely. I will grant it three stars. It is neither very good nor very bad; it just doesn’t rise to the promise of the title.
Quoth the Raven...
I agree with the general consensus that the title and subtitle of this book is somewhat misleading. I really expected the focus to be on that enclave of writers in Geneva in the summer of 1816; where Mary Shelly began Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus and Doctor John Polidori began The Vampyre. Byron did complete Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage, but the other’s stories or poems did not survive the test of time.
The absolute thrill of those days at the Villa Diodati by Lake Geneva, Switzerland would have been great as they bounced ideas off each other and the tales of horror grew. This is more Byron and less on the creation process of the monsters.
Even focusing only on Lord Byron’s descent from world class poet to madman dying of syphilis, the book had the potential to be something amazing. This book contains a lot of information, yet it is the type of book one would expect as required reading for a collage course.
I was disappointed with the book, yet I cannot dismiss it completely. I will grant it three stars. It is neither very good nor very bad; it just doesn’t rise to the promise of the title.
Quoth the Raven...
October 10, 2018
Before reading this book, I knew very little about Byron, Shelly, and Mary, and I knew nothing about Claire and Polidori. I liked reading their backstories before they came together; I appreciated learning about the events and circumstances that helped to shape these people. Although I understand why so many reviewers did not appreciate the travel sections, I thought even those parts were really interesting because I learned a lot about specific places at specific times. The "travelogue" nature of parts of the book gave me a much fuller sense of the historical time and place and how these helped influence the lives of this group of rebels.
I had expected the book to focus more on Byron and Mary, and I expected a large section of the book to be specifically about how the vampyre and the Frankenstein stories were inspired. But even though this book veered from that, I thoroughly enjoyed what it gave me. I learned about opera in Milan, medical school in Edinburgh, the cult of celebrity at the time, the connections between high-standing people, etc. Very cool.
I had expected the book to focus more on Byron and Mary, and I expected a large section of the book to be specifically about how the vampyre and the Frankenstein stories were inspired. But even though this book veered from that, I thoroughly enjoyed what it gave me. I learned about opera in Milan, medical school in Edinburgh, the cult of celebrity at the time, the connections between high-standing people, etc. Very cool.
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