Eaton Stannard Barrett (1786 – 20 March 1820) was an Irish poet and author of political satires. He also wrote a comic novel: ''The Heroine, or: Adventures of a Fair Romance Reader'' (1813).

Career

Born in

County Cork County Cork ( ga, Contae Chorcaí) is the largest and the southernmost county of Ireland, named after the city of Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. Its largest market towns a ...

, son of Richard Barrett, gentleman (his mother's identity unknown, but conjectured to be Eleanor Stannard), Barrett attended Trinity College, Dublin, and studied law at

Middle Temple The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known simply as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court exclusively entitled to call their members to the English Bar as barristers, the others being the Inner Temple, Gray's Inn ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, although he was never called to the bar. His poems, satirising Whig politics in general and

Lord Grenville William Wyndham Grenville, 1st Baron Grenville, (25 October 175912 January 1834) was a British Pittite Tory politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1806 to 1807, but was a supporter of the Whigs for the duration of ...

's special ministry in particular, went through numerous editions.Introduction. in: ''The Heroine, or Adventures of a Fair Romance Reader''. Avril Horner and Sue Zlasnik (eds.) Valancourt Classics 2011 Barratt's comic gothic novel ''

The Heroine ''The Heroine'' is an incomplete 1967 film, now lost, that was directed by Orson Welles. Jean-Pierre Berthomé and Frnancois Thomas, ''Orson Welles at Work'' (Phaidon, London, 2008) pp.231, 282-3 Plot The film was due to be a one-hour adaptation ...

'', published in 1813, was an instant success. Further editions quickly followed in 1814 and 1815. Among those who praised the novel at the time was Jane Austen, who declared herself "very much amused by it" and called it "a delightful burlesque". The ''Critical Review'' described it as "a very spirited and laughable satire upon the various productions and the name of the novel... which have appeared for the last 18 or 19 years." Another critic praised it as "not inferior in wit and humour to ''

Tristram Shandy Tristram may refer to: Literature * the title character of ''The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman'', a novel by Laurence Sterne * the title character of '' Tristram of Lyonesse'', an epic poem by Algernon Charles Swinburne *"Tristr ...

'', and in point of plot and interest infinitely beyond ''

Don Quixote is a Spanish epic novel by Miguel de Cervantes. Originally published in two parts, in 1605 and 1615, its full title is ''The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha'' or, in Spanish, (changing in Part 2 to ). A founding work of West ...

''."

Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe (; Edgar Poe; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic. Poe is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre. He is wid ...

wrote in 1835: "There are few books written with more tact, spirit, naiveté, or grace... and none more fairly entitled to rank among the classics of English literature than the ''Heroine'' of Eaton Stannard Barrett." It was regularly read and reprinted until the early 20th century. After being neglected and out of print for almost a century, it was reissued by

Valancourt Books Valancourt Books is an independent American publishing house founded by James Jenkins and Ryan Cagle in 2005. The company specializes in "the rediscovery of rare, neglected, and out-of-print fiction," in particular gay titles and Gothic and ho ...

in 2011. Despite this literary success, little is known of Barrett's life. He appears to have died of

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, i ...

in 1820, and yet he is mentioned as an author in a publication called ''The American Farmer'', printed in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

and dated 1823. Given his reported financial difficulties, it is possible, though unproven, that he fled to America to escape his debtors. His death was recorded in ''The Ladies' Monthly Museum'', as having taken place in Glamorgan. The author of a memorial commented: "There are few gentlemen whose private worth gained more esteem, or whose manners possessed more attractions." In ''Young Ireland: A Fragment of Irish History, 1840–1845. Final Revision'', Charles Gavin Duffy claims that one of

Daniel O'Connell Daniel O'Connell (I) ( ga, Dónall Ó Conaill; 6 August 1775 – 15 May 1847), hailed in his time as The Liberator, was the acknowledged political leader of Ireland's Roman Catholic majority in the first half of the 19th century. His mobilizat ...

's close allies during the Repeal movement – and his least reputable associate – was Eaton Stannard Barrett's brother Richard Barrett. Duffy writes that both Richard and Eaton were "Tory newspapermen" and that Richard converted to Repeal and consequently published Dublin's Repeal newspaper ''

The Pilot A pilot is a person who flies or navigates an aircraft. Pilot or The Pilot may also refer to: * Maritime pilot, a person who guides ships through hazardous waters * Television pilot, a television episode used to sell a series to a television netw ...

''.

List of works

*''The Rising Sun: A Serio-Comic Satiric Romance by Cervantes Hogg ''(1807) *''The Second Titan War Against Heaven ''(1807) *''All the Talents: A satirical poem in three dialogues'' (1807) *''"Woman" and other poems ''(1810) *''The Metropolis; or, a Cure for Gaming'' (published with

Minerva Press Minerva Press was a publishing house, noted for creating a lucrative market in sentimental and Gothic fiction in the late 18th century and early 19th century. It was established by William Lane (c. 1745–1814) at No 33 Leadenhall Street, Lon ...

under a pseudonym in 1811) *''The Heroine, or: Adventures of a Fair Romance Reader'' (1813) *''My Wife, What Wife? ''(1815)

References

External links

* *
"Dead Funny"
an essay on "The Heroine" and Eaton Stannard Barrett's life and other works * {{DEFAULTSORT:Barrett, Eaton Stannard 1786 births 1820 deaths 19th-century deaths from tuberculosis Irish barristers Irish poets Irish novelists Irish satirists Irish parodists People from County Cork Tuberculosis deaths in Ireland Writers of Gothic fiction

Career

List of works

Archives

References

External links