This is DGR's reply to Robert Buchanan's notorious attack
on DGR's poetry, Contemporary
Review
DGR initially
planned a pamphlet publication. He wrote this essay and had it set in type by his printer Strangeways, but before it was actually published DGR was persuaded by his brother and his publisher to cut
the opening half of his essay, which they considered potentially libelous. As the essay was then reduced by one-third, DGR abandoned his pamphlet publication and had the essay printed in The Athenaeum
The two essays comprise one of the most
notorious literary controversies in English literature. Originally written as an open letter to Buchanan, the published version is measured and restrained in tone—in sharp contrast
to the original opening, which is riven by DGR's anger and anxiety. Apart from its
biographical interest, the essay features a presentation of DGR's aesthetic “law” of the “inner standing point”— a neglected but major contribution to the theory of art and
poetry. Also notable is the fact that Buchanan's review led DGR to remove the sonnet
The House of Life
During this time DGR wrote a number of poems and epigrams attacking Buchanan, one of which,
DGR began writing his response to Buchanan almost immediately after being told of Buchanan's authorship in late October. Early in November he wrote to Swinburne asking his advice and enclosing an excerpt of the essay he was composing: “Meanwhile I send you the beginning of an epistle to B. which I struck off on first hearing of his identity with M. but afterwards flagged in when I heard the report you wrote to the contrary—not that I was convinced but further enquiry seemed needed. If done at all, of course there should not be much more delay now in publishing the letter, though the time needed for digging one dead dog from under the carefully paraded corpse of the other would excuse some delay. I want your sincere opinion whether, in event of established identity, it would be well to print this. Of course most people say no, but I can't help feeling a leaning towards yes. It is no good letting even an ape have the laugh of one if one can turn it against him. So I send you the first paragraphs for your counsel.” (letter of 7 November, Correspondence
Correspondence
During late November and early December, after DGR had the first and longer version of his reply to Buchanan set in type, he was persuaded against publishing this version and so abandoned his initial plan to publish the essay as a pamphlet. At that point he determined on a shorter reply and engaged his publisher Ellis to help see it put quickly into print in the
Athenaeum
Correspondence