ABSTRACT
One may claim there is something counterintuitive, perhaps even self-defeating, in dedicating a collection of essays to Swinburne’s later work. After all, despite general scholarly acknowledgement of his abilities as a poet and critic, Swinburne remains, for the most part, a rather marginal figure. Focusing on his mature writing, which has received even less critical attention than his earlier work, might seem, therefore, a rather odd choice. Simply put, the main purpose of this collection is to respond to this view and disprove it. By presenting the thematic, intellectual, and formal wealth of his mature work, the essays in this volume introduce readers to Swinburne’s often disregarded later achievements. But not less importantly, in focusing on the neglected regions of the Swinburnean corpus, this collection also aims to review and challenge the prevalent critical attitudes that have perpetuated this neglect. In doing so, this introduction and the essays that follow not only attempt to expose readers to Swinburne’s less familiar works, but also provide new contexts in which to read them.
