Amelia Alderson Opie
(1769 - 1853) — A Brief Background to Lays for the Dead
(1834)
© Jill Shaver, December 2001
Amelia Alderson Opie, the
only-child of Dr. James and Amelia Briggs Alderson, was born on November 12,
1769 in Norwich. Her father, Dr. James Alderson, was a noted physician of his
time, and it is said, "She was the pride and darling of his home, and throughout
her ling life her father's approbation was the one chief motive of her existence,"
(Sibyls 153). Amelia was thought of, by her friends and family, as a
charming child, who had a great love for learning. Amelia's education was devoted
mainly to French, music, and dancing. She loved to compose and perform songs
for visitors of the Alderson home, and this won her a great deal of admirers.
Unfortunately, Amelia's
mother died when she was barely 15, in 1784. Miss Brightwell, one of Mrs. Opie's
biographers, says of Amelia: "Mrs. Opie might have been more demure and
decorous had her mother lived, but perhaps less charming," (Sibyls
154). After her mother's untimely death Amelia's father told her "Amelia,
your mother is gone; may you never have reason to blush when you remember her!"
(Sibyls 155). Amelia wrote many poems, which included references to her
mother, but those references focused on her ways of admonishing and disciplining
Amelia. One such poem can be found within the collection Lays for the Dead,
where in "Portrait the First" Amelia reminisces on her childhood notions
of a soldier's portrait:
…As those eyes
From the dark canvass beam'd, they seem'd methought
To follow me, and frown upon my faults.
And when a mother's firm, yet mild, reproof
Had sent me, pale and tearful, to my room,
Methought his eyes reprov'd me, and his smile
Seem'd to reward when that fond mother came
To hear her child's contrition, and forgive.
Amelia uses this same picture
of her mother in many of her poetic references to Mrs. Alderson. It would seem
likely that since her mother died while Amelia was still young, her most vivid
memories of her mother were those of punishment. Perhaps if her mother had lived
longer, we would see more reminiscing of adult mother-daughter moments, which
might better reflect their relationship.
Her mother's death left
Amelia to assume charge of her father's house, where her responsibilities were
not limited to the domestic sphere, but also to the social. She played hostess
to the many social gatherings that took place at her father's house. Upon entering
Norwich society, Amelia became instantly popular, and Amelia's popularity was
furthered by her love for composing and singing ballads for her guests.
Amelia began making annual
trips to London, after 1794, where she became well known in many great literary
circles. Literary people, such as, William Godwin, Mary Wollstonecraft, and
Elizabeth Inchbald, were included in the list of those whom she was associated.
However, "Despite AO's personal connections with the radical circle…her
novels cannot be seen as part of the 'Jacobin' tradition. They emphasize the
importance of individual morality as a religious and social duty, rather than
as part of a political system," (Todd 515). This sentiment rings true for
both her novels and her poems. For Amelia, writing was a way of communicating
morality to those who may need reminding. Amelia most clearly articulates this
agenda in the preface to Illustrations of Lying, where, in her apology
she says:
…by declaring that I pretend not to lay before my readers any new knowledge; my only aim is to bring to their recollection knowledge which they already possess, but do not constantly recall and act upon…I wish to remind them that a weak hand is as able as a powerful one to hold a mirror, in which we may see any defects in our dress or person.
It is evident from this
passage that Amelia was looking to help others recognize their moral failings,
in order to rectify the human character. Instead of subscribing to the radical
Godwinian thoughts of marriage, or other notions floating around her circle
of literary friends, Amelia held fast to her own beliefs regarding morality,
which was evident in her works.
In her minglings with many
of the great writers of the Romantic period, Amelia met several men that had
romantic interest for her, including Thomas Holcroft, an artist for whom she
sat for a portrait. There was also a rumor that William Godwin was very interested
in her, and may have married her if she expressed a similar interest. Mary Shelley,
however, "believed that her father's feeling for Amelia Alderson was merely
the warm and admiring regard he entertained for Mrs. Inchbald" (Mayer 67).
Nonetheless, there were many speculations as to the identites of the many men
who courted Amelia.
It was in 1797 that she
met John Opie, a painter, in London at a dinner party. He had been unhappily
married and was recently divorce at the time of their meeting. Although John
fell in love with her, upon seeing her for the first time, the feeling was not
mutual for Amelia. She says of Opie: "Often do I rationally and soberly
state to Opie the reasons that might urge me to marry him - in time - and the
reasons why I could never be happy with him, nor he with me. But it always ends
in his persisting in his suit" (Mayer 74). After much effort on John Opie's
behalf, they were married May 8, 1798 at Marylebone Church.
Amelia and John resided
mainly in London, and it was said that John was not fond of society and urged
Amelia to write in order to keep her at home.1
Amelia did not seem to take this fading from society poorly, but instead remarked
of John:
He knew that my most favourite amusement was writing, and he always encouraged my ambition to become an acknowledged author. Our only quarrel on the subject was not that I wrote so much, but that I did not write more and better. And to the last hour of my existence I shall deplore those habits of indolence which made me neglect to write while it was in my power to profit by his criticisms and advice, and when, by employing myself more regularly in that manner, I should have been sure to receive the proudest and dearest reward of woman - the approbation of a husband at once the object of her respect and of her love.2
Amelia Opie became a professional writer by 1801 after penning the popular tale Father and Daughter, which was dedicated to her father. Although she had published The Dangers of Coquetry earlier, her name did not appear with the original work, because she wished to remain anonymous at that time. The Edinburgh Review considered Father and Daughter "an appalling domestic tragedy" (Kunitz 479). The actual review, read in full, however, is glowing with praise. Paer even based his opera, Agnese, upon this novel. Walter Scott joined in the doling out of compliments by admitting to having wept after reading the tale.3 Amelia, in a letter to William Hayle, announced, "I like to make people cry, indeed, if I do not do it, all my readers are disappointed," (Todd 516). Father and Daughter became a model for the type of prose and poetry that Amelia would continue to deliver.
Her next venture in writing
was Adeline Mowbray, published in 1805, whose main character was loosely
based on Mary Wollstonecraft. The Edinburgh Review deemed it"a beautiful
story, the most natural in its pathos of any fictitious narrative in the language"
(Mayer 177). Astonishingly, another review suggested, "She does not reason
well, but she has, like most accomplished women, the talent of perceiving truth
without the process of reasoning. Her language is often inaccurate, but it is
always graceful and harmonious" (Mayer 178). Amelia was under a great deal
of pressure to have this novel succeed, because John was not making enough money
painting to support them.
John had suffered from
depression, which was self-inflicted. His continual self-depreciation of his
ability to paint caused him to spend a great deal of time on each painting,
and even then he was not satisfied. However, John soon acquired patrons and
was once again a successful painter. This, as well as the success of Adeline
Mowbray, led to more prosperous times for Amelia and John.
Unfortunately, John Opie
died in April of 1807, from swelling of the brain. Soon after his death, Amelia
returned to Norwich to care for her ailing father. It was at this point that
Amelia began to spend 8 to 10 hours a day on her writing, hoping to divert herself
from the tragic loss of her husband. In 1809 she published a biography of husband
entitled Memoir of John Opie. This work was considered a disappointment
to John Opie's professional associates. Sir James Mackintosh said of the memoir,
"It is a pleasing sketch, in one or two parts very elegant; it breathes
esteem, admiration and pride…One passage I object to - where she makes
an excuse for not exposing his faults. The apology is unnecessary…She out
either to have been absolutely silent, or with an intrepid confidence in the
character of her husband, to have stated faults which she was sure would have
been 'dust in balance' placed in the scale opposite to his merits" (cit.
in Mayer 88-89). Mackintosh seems to have forgotten that it is a signature of
Amelia's to make apologies for that which she has composed. This functioned
as a way for Amelia to get published without taking on an air of knowledge that
some may have thought was incongruent with reality.
Amelia's father, Dr. James
Alderson, died in October of 1825. His death added to Amelia's already profound
grief. At this time she became very detached from her social acquaintances.
However, around 1814 she expressed an interest in Quakerism, and joined the
Society of Friends shortly before her father died, and this organization tried
without fail to raise Amelia's spirits. However, her new religious views did
prevent her from writing stories and novels; thus, a novel, The Painter and
His Wife, which was contracted for, was dropped. Amelia announced in 1823
that it would not ever appear.
Amelia Opie donated much
of her time to charity, and was associated with Southey in the reform hospitals.
She continued to travel, maintained a large array of correspondents, and wrote
for periodicals. Amelia was also active in anti-slavery circles and went to
the London convention in 1840 as the Norwich delegate. Her 1826 poem, The
Black Man's Lament, reflects her strong anti-slavery beliefs.
The last volume of poetry that Amelia composed was Lays for the Dead, which appeared in 1834. This volume contains what I believe are Amelia's best poems. Although they are sentimental, as would be expected with poems of this nature, they have a beautiful simplicity that makes them touching without being too ornate. I would deem "In Memory of My Mother" and the two "Tributary Lines" to her father some of the best of Amelia's poetry. In all three, she displays a heart-wrenching plea to be with her parents. At the end of, "In Memory of My Mother," Amelia writes:
Thy watchful care repaid so ill -
Yet joy'd to think some words of truth
Sank in my soul, and teach me still:
Like lamps along life's fearful way
To me at times those truths have shone;
And oft, when snares around me lay,
That light has made that danger known.
Then, how thy grateful child has blest
Each wise reproof thy accents bore!
And now she longs, in worlds of rest
To dwell with thee for evermore!
Here, there is a clear sense of the love that Amelia felt for her mother, and a regretful aside to how she had, earlier in her life, not respected and appreciated her mother.
The poems for her father are just as touching, if not more so. In "Tributary Lines, Part the First," Amelia says:
But, when my passing hours are bright,
And mine the smiles he lov'd to see;
Then, while vain tears obscure my sight,
"My father! how I wish for thee!"
In the second part of "Tributary
Lines" she is further distraught:
Again the scene, and him I see!
The silver hair, the deep-flush'd cheek!
The waking eyes that look for me;
The smiles that eager welcome speak.But soon these scenes away are past,
With all the pangs and joys they gave!
And when my eyes on earth I cast,
I only see - my father's grave!
Within these poems we see
Amelia, not as the person who is doing the consoling, but the one who is seeking
consolation. She expresses her grief in a way that does not seek to smooth over
her agony, but instead she seems to bring it out in an honest way. Her style
is simple and truthful in these poems, and more so than in any of Amelia's other
works.
That being said, the simplicity has a bit of a negative side, in that many of her poems4 end with relishing the thought of how happy those who have died will be in heaven, and how elated those who have lost the person should feel in knowing this. Although this is a comforting thought for many, her repetition of this notion erodes its heartfelt meaning.
This, being the last of
her works, was probably Amelia's most mature piece. Her use of language is simple,
yet it evokes a sense that Amelia is writing about those that she loved and
has now lost. Although Lays for the Dead has not been, historically,
one of Amelia's better known works, it is one that merits closer examination.
Amelia Opie died in Norwich on December 2, 1853 after an illness that persisted for a few months. She was buried in Gildencroft, at the Friends' Cemetery. There is some conflict regarding whether or not she was buried beside her father or with her father.5 It is interesting to note that in her novel, Adeline Mowbray, her female character is buried with her father, which would lend support to the latter theory of where Amelia was buried. Whatever the case may be, she led a notable life and was surrounded by many who loved her dearly.
Notes to the Essay
1. Shattock p. 325.
2. Mayer p. 77.
3. Shattock p. 325.
4. Refer to "On the Sudden Death of a Beautiful Child,"
"To -----," and "Epitaph" for further examples of this.
5. Refer to Kunitz's biography and compare to Feldman's
biographical notes.
Works Cited
Bartleby.com. on line. http://www.bartleby.com/106/66.html. October 22, 2001.
Feldman, Paula, ed. British Women Poets of the Romantic Era, An Anthology. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins UP, 1997. pp.522-38.
Fulghum, Walter B., Jr. A Dictionary of Biblical Allusions in English Literature. New York: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 1965. p. 291.
Kunitz, Stanley J., ed. British Authors of the Nineteenth Century. New York: H.W. Wilson, 1936. pp. 478-9.
Mayer, Gertrude Townshend. Women of Letters. Vol. 2. London: Richard Bentley & Son, 1894. pp. 58-114.
Nicholson, Andy. Brown's History of Nottingshire. On line. http://www.cthulu.demon.co.uk/Browns_notts/Text/sherwood.htm. March 29, 2001.
Ritchie, Anne Isabella (Thackeray), Lady. A Book of Sibyls.
London: Smith, Elder, &Co., 1883. Reprint. Folcroft, PA: Folcroft Library
Editions, 1974.
Shattock, Joanne. The Oxford Guide to British Women Writers. New York:
Oxford UP, 1993. pp. 325-6.
St. Philothea Greek Orthodox Church. on line. http://www.stphilothea.ga.goarch.org
Todd, Janet, ed. British Women Writers: A Critical Reference
Guide. New York: Continuum, 1989. pp. 514-16.
Amelia Alderson Opie's Principal Works:
Novels and Short Stories:
Dangers of Coquetry (1790)
Father and Daughter (1801)
Adeline Mowbray (1805)
Simple Tales (1806)
Temper (1812)
First Chapter of Accidents (1813)
Tales of Real Life (1813)
Valentine's Eve (1816)
New Tales (1818)
Tales of the Heart (1820)
Madeline (1822)
Illustrations of Lying (1824)
Tales of the Pemberton Family for Children (1825)
The Last Voyage (1828)
Detraction Displayed (1828)
Miscellaneous Tales - 12 volumes (1845-7)
Biographies and Memoirs:
Memoir of John Opie (1809)
Sketch of Mrs. Roberts (1814)
Poetry:
The Maid of Corinth (1801)
Elegy to the Memory of the Duke of Bedford (1802)
Poems (1803)
Lines to General Kosciusko (1803)
Song to Stella (1803)
The Warrior's Return (1808)
The Black Man's Lament (1826)
Lays for the Dead (1834)
Miscellaneous:
Recollections of Days in Belgium (1840)