George Henry Lewes was an English philosopher and critic who wrote about literature and theatre. He also studied the human body as an amateur physiologist. American feminist Margaret Fuller described Lewes as a “witty, French, flippant sort of man.” He was part of a time in the mid-1800s when people in England discussed new ideas, such as Darwinism, positivism, and religious skepticism.
Elizabeth Barrett Browning (born Moulton-Barrett; March 6, 1806 – June 29, 1861) was an English poet from the Victorian era. She was well-known in Britain and the United States during her lifetime, and her poems were often included in collections after her death. Her work became more widely studied in the 1970s and 1980s because of research about women writers.
The Fortunes of Perkin Warbeck: A Romance is an 1830 historical novel written by Mary Shelley. The book tells the story of Perkin Warbeck. It presents events from the Yorkist perspective, suggesting that Perkin Warbeck died as a child and that the person pretending to be him was actually Richard of Shrewsbury.
Lady Caroline Lamb (born as Ponsonby; November 13, 1785 – January 25, 1828) was a noblewoman from Ireland and England who wrote books. She is best known for her Gothic novel, Glenarvon. In 1812, she had a romantic relationship with Lord Byron, whom she described as “mad, bad, and dangerous to know.” Her husband was the Honourable William Lamb.
Simone Lucie Ernestine Marie Bertrand de Beauvoir (UK: /də ˈboʊvwɑːr/, US: /də boʊ ˈvwoʊɑːr/; French: [simɔn də bovwaʁ]; 9 January 1908 – 14 April 1986) was a French philosopher, writer, social theorist, and feminist activist. She did not consider herself a philosopher during her lifetime, and others did not classify her as one at the time of her death. However, her work greatly influenced feminist existentialism and feminist theory.
Joséphine Bonaparte (French: [ʒozefin bɔnapaʁt]), born Marie Josèphe Rose Tascher de La Pagerie, was born on June 23, 1763, and died on May 29, 1814. She was the first wife of Emperor Napoleon I and therefore became Empress of the French from May 18, 1804, until her marriage was ended by legal action on January 10, 1810. As Napoleon’s wife, she was also Queen of Italy from May 26, 1805, until the same legal action in 1810.
In Greek mythology, Andromeda is the daughter of Cepheus, the king of Aethiopia, and his wife, Cassiopeia. When Cassiopeia claims that she or Andromeda is more beautiful than the Nereids, the sea gods punish Aethiopia by sending a sea monster named Cetus to attack the coast. To stop the monster, Queen Cassiopeia decides to chain Andromeda to a rock and offer her as a sacrifice to the gods.
Penelope ( / p ə ˈ n ɛ l ə p i / pə- NEL -ə-pee ; Ancient Greek : Πηνελόπεια, Pēnelópeia , or Πηνελόπη , Pēnelópē ) is a character in Homer’s Odyssey. She was the queen of Ithaca and the daughter of Spartan king Icarius and Naiad Periboea. In Greek mythology, Penelope is known for her faithfulness to her husband, Odysseus, even though more than 100 people tried to marry her while he was away.
Hero and Leander is a Greek myth about Hero, a priestess (hiereia) of Aphrodite (Venus in Roman mythology), who lived in a tower in Sestos on the European side of the Hellespont. Leander was a young man from Abydos on the opposite side of the strait. Hero (Ancient Greek: Ἡρώ, Hērṓ; [hɛː.rɔ̌ː]) and Leander (Ancient Greek: Λέανδρος, Léandros; [lé.an.dros]) are the names of the characters in this story.
In Greek mythology, Pyramus and Thisbe (Ancient Greek: Πύραμος καὶ Θίσβη, romanized: Púramos kaì Thísbē) were two lovers from Babylon. Their story is most famous from a poem called Metamorphoses by Ovid. Many writers have retold this sad tale over time.