Charles Bucke

Charles Bucke, The Philosophy of Nature (1813). Forgotten Books, 2018. Courtesy Snapdeal.com.

Charles Bucke
Born	April 16 1781(1781-Template:MONTHNUMBER-16) Worlington, Suffolk, England
Died	July 31 1846(1846-Template:MONTHNUMBER-31) (aged 65) Pulteney-terrace, Islington England
Occupation	Poet, writer, philosophical observer, playwright

Charles Bucke (16 April 1781 - 31 July 1846) was an English writer who, despite suffering poverty for most of his life, produced roughly 11 different works.

Life

Bucke was born at Worlington in Suffolk, 16 April 1781.

For more than 30 years he prosecuted his literary labors in the midst of great poverty. Ultimately he found a liberal benefactor in Mr. Thomas Grenville, from whom, it is believed, he regularly received £5 a month. He also obtained several grants from the Literary Fund.

Little is recorded concerning the life of Mr. Bucke, but he is remembered for his eloquence with nature writing and a dispute with actor Edmund Kean.

Dispute with Kean

In the dispute with Kean, Mr. Bucke relates that in 1817 he submitted his play The Italians; or, The fatal accusation to the Committee of Management at Drury Lane where it was accepted and put on the bill for future performance. Upon the death of Princess Charlotte of Wales the theatre closed for 3 weeks out of respect and Bucke conceded his priority in favor of a play that was thought to better appeal to the feelings of the general public regarding the princess's death.

After various delays and assurances that the play was well-liked and would be performed, Kean made an offhand comment suggesting that a female supporting actor had a superior role than his and that his part should be rewritten to be more centre-stage, much to the surprise of Bucke. After speaking with the theatre management, the issue was pushed aside in favor of focusing on the current production of a play by Jane Porter, whom Kean had a personal dislike for, that was to be shown in February 1819. The play was performed and, according to Bucke who was at opening night (and also according to popular media at the time), it was almost as if the entire production staff and actors were against the play's performance.

"Two scenes fell flat upon the stage during the performance, and presented a strangely confused spectacle of back lights, naked machinery, and more than the bustle of a ship's deck in a storm. But the greatest outrage was the behaviour of Mr. Kean. He went through his part, of course the principle one by many degrees, with as much slovenliness, as if he was merely rehearsing it. This was so palpable, that persons cried 'shame!' upon him from the pit."

-The Morning Herald, 15 February 1819

Despite a concerted effort by some of the actors, Porter's play was a devastating failure and was not repeated. Upon witnessing this spectacle and bearing in mind the strange reaction he'd received previously from Kean, he went back stage to the management and requested his play to be pulled. After being called back by the theatre's committee and the insistence of the theatre's benefactors that The Italians still be performed, Bucke then later had it republished with a preface concerning the incident, including excerpts from correspondences between himself, the theatre, and Mr. Kean which was later challenged in 2 books, The Assailant Assailed and A Defense of Edmund Kean, Esq.. The result was loss of face on both sides and the play being performed anyway on 3 April 1819 to disastrous results due to the sensationalism surrounding Kean's contempt for the play as well as his behavior towards the production of Jane Porter's piece beforehand.

Death

Bucke's death occurred at Pulteney Terrace, Islington, 31 July 1846. He died at the age of 65, presumedly of natural causes, leaving behind a widow, 2 sons (the eldest recorded as being 'imbecile from birth') and 2 daughters

Writing

His works are:

1. Amusements in Retirement, or the influence of science, literature, and the liberal arts on the manners and happiness of private life, 1816.
2. The Italians, or the Fatal Accusation: a tragedy [in five acts and in verse]. With a preface containing the correspondence of the author with the committee of Drury Lane Theatre, P. Moore, Esq., M.P., and Mr. Kean, 7th edition 1819, 8th edition 1820. This tragedy was printed previously to its representation at Drury Lane Theatre on 3 April 1819. It was accepted by the committee of Drury Lane for representation in 1817, and announced in the bills to be performed immediately, Edmund Kean to take the principal character, Albanio; but from several causes it was delayed until 15 Feb. 1819, when Miss Porter's tragedy ‘Switzerland’ was presented. In the latter play Kean acted so badly that Bucke withdrew The Italians. The public exposure of Kean created such a sensation that ‘The Italians’ had a rapid sale and passed through eight editions.
3. The Fall of the Leaf, and other poems, 1819.
4. On the Beauties, Harmonies, and Sublimities of Nature, with occasional remarks on the laws, customs, manners, and opinions of various nations, 4 vols., London, 1821, 8vo; 3 vols., 1837; New York, 1843. Originally published anonymously in 1813, under the title The Philosophy of Nature. The author left this work improved and enlarged in 20 manuscript volumes.
5. Classical Grammar of the English Language, 1829.
6. Julio Romano, or the Force of the Passions. An Epic Drama in six books, 1830.
7. On the Life, Writings, and Genius of Akenside, with some account of his friends, 1832.
8. The Book of Human Character, 2 vols., 1837.
9. A Letter intended (one day) as a supplement to Lockhart's “Life of Sir Walter Scott,” London, 1838, 8vo (privately printed).
10. The Life of John, Duke of Marlborough, 1839.
11. Ruins of Ancient Cities, with general and particular accounts of their rise, fall, and present condition, 1840.

Publications

Poetry

• The Fall of the Leaf, and other poems. London: G. & W.B. Whitaker, 1819.

Play

• The Italians; or, The Fatal Accusation: A tragedy. London: G. & W.B. Whitaker, 1819.
• Julio Romano; or, The force of the passions: An epic drama in six books. London: J. Rodwell, 1830.

Non-fiction

• The philosophy of nature: or the influence of scenery on the mind and heart (2 volumes), London: John Murray, 1813; Volume I, Volume II
  • expanded as On the Beauties, Harmonies, and Sublimities of Nature. (4 volumes), London: G. & W.B. Whitaker, 1821; London: Thomas Tegg, 1837; New York: Harper, 1841. Volume I, Volume II, Volume III
• Amusements in Retirement; or, The influence of science, literature, and the liberal arts. London: Henry Colburn, 1816.
• A Classical Grammar of the English Language: With a short history of its origin and formation. London: Baldwin & Cradock, 1829.
• On the Life, Writings, and Genius of Akenside: With some account of his friends. London: J. Cochrane, 1832
• The Book of Human Character (2 volumes), London: Knight, 1837.
• A Letter Intended (one day) as a Supplement to Lockhart's Life of Sir Walter Scott [London?]: privately published, 1838.
• The Life of John, Duke of Marlborough London: Thomas Tegg, 1839.
• Ruins of Ancient Cities: with general and particular accounts of their rise, fall, and present condition (2 volumes), London: Tegg, 1840; New York: Harper, 1841. Volume I, Volume II

Except where noted, bibliographical information courtesy WorldCat.

References

•  Cooper, Thompson (1886) "Bucke, Charles" in Stephen, Leslie Dictionary of National Biography 7 London: Smith, Elder, p. 199 . Wikisource, Web, Mar. 6, 2020.

External links

Poems

• "Hymn to the Moon"
• "The Fall of the Leaf" (excerpt)

Books

• Works by Charles Bucke at Project Gutenberg
• Charles Bucke at Amazon.com

About

• Charles Bucke (1781-1846) at English Poetry, 1579-1830

This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain, the Dictionary of National Biography (edited by Leslie Stephen). London: Smith, Elder, 1885-1900. Original article is at: Bucke, Charles