W. E. Henley

Joseph M. Flora (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.07: English Writing and Culture of the Victorian Period, 1837-1901.
Vol. editors: Gillian Fenwick (University of Toronto), Jessica Gossling (Goldsmiths College, University of London)

Dates

Born 23 Aug 1849
Died 11 Jul 1903
Activity 1869-1903

Places

Born in England
Active in England

Activities

Primary

Editor
Playwright / Dramatist
Poet

Resources

Henley's Works

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Among other distinctions, William Ernest Henley was the inspiration for Robert Louis Stevenson’s Long John Silver. Through his pirate, Stevenson paid tribute to his friend’s courage, vigor, and strong will. Indeed, many found Henley an intimidating figure. Like Dr. Samuel Johnson, with whom he has been compared, he was an arbiter of taste to be reckoned with. Henley helped define the literary climate of Great Britain in the last years of the nineteenth century. Henley’s image of manly bravado was the polar opposite of the green carnations of Oscar Wilde and the Aesthetes, and critic Jerome Hamilton Buckley identified him as the leading figure of the “counter-decadence” of the 1890s.

Early in his career, Henley was positioned to carry influence. He held a series of editorships,

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898 words

Citation: Flora, Joseph M.. "W. E. Henley". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 15 March 2005 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=2081, accessed 22 November 2024.]