James Payn

James Payn (1830-1898). Photo by W.D. Downey, 1890. Courtesy Wikimedia Commons.

James Payn
Born	Februay 28 1830(1830-Template:MONTHNUMBER-28) near Maidenhead, Berkshire, England
Died	March 25 1898(1898-Template:MONTHNUMBER-25) Maida Vale, London, England
Spouse	Louisa Adelaide Edlin

James Payn (28 February 1830 - 25 March 1898), was an English poet and novelist.

Life

Overview

Payn, son of an official in the Thames Commission, was educated at Eton, Woolwich, and Cambridge. He was a regular contributor to Household Words and to Chambers's Journal, of which he was editor 1859-1874, and in which several of his works originally appeared; he also edited the Cornhill Magazine, 1883-1896. Among his novels – upwards of 60 in number – may be mentioned Lost Sir Massingberd, The Best of Husbands, Walter's Word, By Proxy (1878), A Woman's Vengeance, Carlyon's Year, Thicker than Water, A Trying Patient, etc. He also wrote a book of poems and a volume of literary reminiscences.

Family

His father, William Payn, was clerk to the Thames commissioners, and lived at Maidenhead. He was popular in the county, kept the Berkshire harriers, and was compared to a hero of the old English comedy.

Youth

Payn was born at Cheltenham on 28 February 1830. His father died too early to be distinctly remembered by the son, who became the pet of his mother, an affectionate and beautiful woman. Payn's father had begun to initiate him in various country sports; but from a very early age he preferred books, and devoured such fiction as he could obtain.

He was known as a story-teller at a preparatory school, to which he was sent at the age of 7. He suffered much bullying, and did not find Eton, to which he was sent at 11, more congenial. He was hurt by the rejection of an article written for a school magazine, and the classical lessons gave him a permanent dislike of Greek and Latin. He was always a very poor linguist.

He was taken from Eton to be sent to a "crammer" for the Woolwich academy, to which he had received nomination. He passed 3rd in the examination for the academy, but had to leave it after a year on account of his health. It was then decided that he should take orders, and he passed a year with a private tutor in Devonshire. Here he found himself for the 1st time in congenial surroundings.

He had been disgusted with the rigid discipline and the coarse amusements of his comrades at Woolwich, and had relieved himself by boyish escapades and by nursing his literary tastes. From Devonshire he sent an article describing the academy to Household Words, then edited by Dickens. Its publication produced a remonstrance from the governor of the academy, and incidentally led to Payn's 1st communication with Dickens, for whom he always entertained the warmest regard.. While in Devonshire he also succeeded in gaining admittance of various pieces of verse to periodicals.

In October 1847 he entered Trinity College, Cambridge. He cared nothing for the regular course of study. He became president of the union, and was a popular member of various societies. He made many warm friendships among his contemporaries, and was kindly welcomed by some of the college authorities, especially William George Clark and George Brimley. He retained many of his college friendships to the last. During his undergraduate career he published 2 volumes of verse, the 1st of which, Stories from Boccaccio (1852), was warmly praised by Brimley in the Spectator. Payn was greatly encouraged, and soon determined to devote himself to the profession of literature. He took a 1st class in the examination for the ordinary degree at the end of 1852.

Career

James Payn (1830-1898), from Many Celebrities and a Few Others, 1912. Courtesy Wikimedia Commons.

Payn was already engaged to Miss Louisa Adelaide Edlin, and the marriage took place on 28 February 1854. He had now to make his living. He 1st settled in the Lakes at Rydal Cottage, "under the shadow of Nab Scar." He was known to Mary Russell Mitford, a neighbor and friend of his father in early years. She introduced him to Harriet Martineau, then residing at Grasmere, and both literary ladies encouraged and advised him.

He soon became a regular contributor to Household Words and Chambers's Journal. In 1858 he became "co-editor" with Leitch Ritchie of Chambers's Journal, and settled in Edinburgh. A year later he became sole editor. He became a warm friend of Robert Chambers, one of the proprietors, and made some pleasant acquaintances at Edinburgh.

Both the climate and the puritanism of Scotland were uncongenial to him, and he was glad to move in 1861 to London, where he continued to edit the journal. Payn now settled in the Maida Vale district, and remained there for the rest of his life.

He thoroughly enjoyed London life. He has described some impressions of his rambles in a volume called Meliboeus in London. He had met Dickens in 1856, and soon made himself known in the literary circles in which Dickens was the great light. Payn rarely left London, and says that for the 25 years preceding 1884 he had only taken 3 days of consecutive holiday once a year.

Upon the death of Robert Chambers in 1871, William Chambers became the chief proprietor of the journal. Differences of opinion arose, and Payn resigned the editorship in 1874. He then became reader to Smith, Elder, and from 1883 till 1896 edited the Cornhill Magazine for the firm.

Payn's 1st novel, The Foster Brothers, founded on his college experiences, appeared in 1859. From that date he was a most industrious writer of novels, long and short. His Lost Sir Massingberd, which appeared in Chambers's Journal in 1864, is said to have raised the circulation by 20,000 copies, and permanently advanced his popularity.

By Proxy, published independently in 1878, was, he says, the most popular of his novels, and fully established his position. At a later period Payn became widely known by a weekly column of lively anecdote and gossip contributed to the Illustrated London News.

Last years

"The Heir of the Ages" - Payn caricatured by Ape (Carlo Pellegrini) in Vanity Fair, 8 September 1888. Courtesy Wikimedia Commons.

Payn had a great store of anecdote, and was most charming in conversation. He took a lively interest in most subjects of the day, though literary matters always held 1st place in his mind. Nobody could be more generous in recognizing the merits of his contemporaries; and, as an editor, he took a special pleasure in helping young aspirants in the profession to which he was always proud of belonging.

In later years he became crippled by rheumatism. Constant pain produced occasional fits of depression, but never soured his temper or weakened his elasticity of spirit. He had been on friendly terms with most of the literary men of his time. He was most retentive of old friendships, and constantly adding new ones to the number. He had been a good whist player from his college days, and in London a daily rubber was his main recreation. When he was confined to his house, members of his club arranged to get up a game there twice a week.

The personal charm was heightened by the gallantry with which he met his sufferings, and few men have been so deservedly popular in a large circle. After his health had compelled him to give up his editorship he still devoted himself to literary work; but his strength was failing, and he died on 25 March 1898 at his house in Warrington Crescent, Maida Vale.

Payn's domestic life had been thoroughly happy. His sense of the blessing is pathetically indicated in the essay called "The Backwater of Life," which gives the title to a posthumous volume of essays. Mrs. Payn survived him, with 2 sons and 5 daughters, the 3rd of whom, Alicia Isobel, married in 1885 G.E. Buckle, editor of The Times, and died in 1898.

Writing

As a novelist Payn was much influenced by, though he did not imitate, Dickens. In his writing, as in his life, he was the simplest and least affected of men. He made no pretence to profound views of human nature, but overflowed with spontaneous vivacity and love of harmless fun. He had a singularly quick eye for the comic, and remarkable skill in constructing ingenious situations. The same qualities marked his short essays and his conversation.

Publications

Poetry

• Stories from Boccaccio, and other poems. London: W.N. Wright, 1852.
• Poems. Cambridge, UK: Macmillan, 1853.

Novels

• The Foster Brothers: Being a history of the school and college life of two young men. London: A. Hall Virtue, 1859; London: Chapman & Hall, 1870: London: Chatto & Windus, 1884.
• The Bateman Household. London: A. Hall Virtue, 1860.
• Richard Arbour; or, The family scapegrace. Edinburgh: Edmonston & Douglas, 1861
  • also published as The Family Scapegrace; or, Richard Arbour. London: 1869.
• Lost Sir Massingberd: A romance of real life. (2 volumes), London : Sampson, Low, Son, & Marston, 1864.
• Married beneath him. (3 volumes), London:1865.
• People, Places, and Things. London: S.O. Beeton 1865; new edit. 1876.
• The Clyffards of Clyffe. (3 volumes), London: 1866.
• Mirk Abbey. (3 volumes), London: Hurst & Blackett, 1866; new edit. 1869.
• Lights and Shadows of London Life. (2 volumes), London: Hurst & Blackett, 1867.
• Carlyon's Year. New York: Harper, 1867; London: Chatto & Windus, 1881.
• Blondel Parva.(2 volumes), London: 1868.
• Bentinck's Tutor. (2 volumes), London: Sampson Low, 1868; London: Chatto & Windus, 1883.
• Found Dead. London: 1869.
• A County Family. (3 volumes), London: 1869 1871.
• A Perfect Treasure; or, Incident in the Early Life of Marmaduke Drake, Esq.. London: Tinsley Brothers, 1869.
• Gwendoline's Harvest. (2 volumes), London: 1870..
• Like Father, like Son 1870, (3 volumes), London: 1870.
  • also published as Bred in the Bone; or, Like father, like son. New York: Harper, 1872.
• Not Wooed but Won Leipzig: Tauchnitz, 1871.
• Cecil's Tryst. (3 volumes), Leipzig: Tauchnitz, 1872.
• A Woman's Vengeance. (3 volumes), Leipzig: Tauchnitz, 1872; (1 volume), New York: Harper, 1874..
• Murphy's Master. (2 volumes), Leipzig: Tauchnitz, 1873.
• The Best of Husbands. Leipzig: Tauchnitz, 1874; New York: Harper, 1874..
• At Her Mercy. 1874, 3 vols; New York: Harper, 1874; London: Chatto & Windus, 1877.
• Walter's Word. (3 volumes), Leipzig: Tauchnitz, 1875; new edit. 1879.
• Halves. (3 volumes), Leipzig: Tauchnitz, 1876; New York: Harper, 1876; London: Chatto & Windus, 1880.
• Fallen Fortunes 1876, 3 vols; London: Chatto & Windus, 1878.
• What he Cost her. London: Chatto & Windus, 1877.
• By Proxy. (2 volumes), London: Chatto & Windus, 1878; 1880, 1 vol.; new edit. 1898.
• Less Black than We're Painted. (2 volumes), Leipzig: Tauchnitz, 1878.
• Under one Roof: An episode in a family history. (3 volumes), Leipzig: Tauchnitz, 1879; Toronto: Rose-Belford, 1879.
• A Confidential Agent (3 volumes), Leipzig: Tauchnitz, 1881; London: Chatto & Windus, 1881.
• From Exile. (3 volumes), London: Chatto & Windus, 1881, 1883.
• A Grape from a Thorn. (3 volumes), London: Smith, Elder, 1881; Leipzig: Tauchnitz, 1882; London: Chatto & Windus, 1883.
• For Cash only. (2 volumes), Leipzig: Tauchnitz, 1882; (1 volume), London: Chatto & Windus, 1882.
• Kit: a Memory. (3 volumes), Leipzig: Tauchnitz, 1883.
• Thicker than Water. 1883, (3 volumes), Publisher: Hamburg Grädener & Fischer 1883; new edition, London: 1884 (destroyed).
• The Canon's Ward. Leipzig: Tauchnitz, 1884.
• The Talk of the Town (the story of the forger, William Henry Ireland). London: Smith, Elder, 1885; London: Chatto & Windus, 1885.
• The Luck of the Darrells. Leipzig: Tauchnitz, 1885; London: Longmans, 1886.
• The Heir of the Ages. Leipzig: Tauchnitz, 1886.
• A Prince of the Blood. Toronto: W. Bryce, 1887; London: Ward & Downey, 1888; New York: J.W. Lovell, 1888.
• The Eavesdropper. London: Smith, Elder, 1888; New York: Harper, 1888.
• The Mystery of Mirbridge. Leipzig: Tauchnitz, 1888.
• The Burnt Million. Leipzig: Tauchnitz, 1890.
• The Word and the Will. Leipzig: Tauchnitz, 1890; London: Chatto & Windus, 1891.
• Notes from the "News". London: Chatto & Windus, 1890.
• A Modern Dick Whittington; or, A patron of letters. Leipzig: Tauchnitz, 1892; London: Cassell, 1893.
• A Stumble on the Threshold. London: H. Cox, 1892; New York: Appleton, 1892; Leipzig: Tauchnitz, 1893.
• Gleams of Memory. London: Smith, Elder, 1894.
• In Market Overt. London: Cox, 1895.
• Another's Burden. Leipzig: Tauchnitz, 1897.

Short fiction

• Stories and Sketches . London: Smith, Elder, 1857.
• Leaves from Lakeland. London: 1858; London: Hamilton, Adams, 1896.
• A Marine Residence, and other stores. London: Chatto & Windus, 1870.
• In the Heart of a Hill, and other stories. Liepzig: Tauchnitz, 1873.
• High Spirits: Being certain stories written in them (3 volumes), London, 1879,
• High Spirits: Being certain Stories written in them: Series 2 (1 volume), Leipzig: Tauchnitz, 1880.
• Two Hundred Pounds Reward, and other tales. London: Chatto & Windus, 1881.
• Glowworm Tales. London: Chatto & Windus, 1887.
• A Trying Patient. London: Chatto & Windus, 1893.
• The Disappearance of George Driffel,and other tales. Leipzig: Tauchnitz, 1896.

Non-fiction

• Handbook to the English Lakes. London: Simpkin, Marshall, 1859; 10th edition, Windermere, UK: Garnett, 1890.
• Melibœus in London. 1862.
• A Description of Furness Abbey and its Neighbourhood. London: Hamilton, Adams, 1864. new edit. 1869, 4to.
• The Lakes in Sunshine: Being photographic and other pictures of the Lake District. London: Simpkin, Marshall, 1868.
• Maxims by a Man of the World. London: Tinsley Brothers, 1869.
• Some Private Views: Being essays from "The Nineteenth Century" review, with some occasional articles from "The Times". Leipzig: Tauchnitz, 1873.
• The Youth and Middle Age of Charles Dickens. [London?]: 1883.
• Some Literary Recollections. London: Smith, Elder, 1884; Leipzig: Tauchnitz, 1884; New York: Harper, 1884.
• Holiday Tasks: Being Essays written in Vacation Times. London : Chatto & Windus, 1888.
• The Backwater of Life; or, Essays of a literary veteran (with introduction by Leslie Stephen). London: Smith, Elder, 1899.

Juvenile

• In Peril and Privation: Stories of marine disaster retold. London: Chatto & Windus, 1888.

Except where noted, bibliographical information courtesy WorldCat.

See also

• List of British poets

References

• Block, Jr., Ed. "Evolutionist Psychology and Aesthetics: The Cornhill Magazine, 1875–1880," Journal of the History of Ideas, 45:3, (1984).
• James, Henry. "The Late James Payn," The New England Quarterly, Vol. 67, No. 1, Mar. 1994.
• Lehmann, Rudolph Chambers. Memories of Half a Century: A Record of Friendships, Smith, Elder, 1908.
• Melville, Lewis. "James Payn." In Victorian Novelists, Constable, 1906.
• Rideing, William H. "James Payn," The Boyhood of Famous Authors, Thomas Y. Crowell, 1897.
• Rideing, William H. "Reminiscences of an Editor," McClure's Magazine, February 1910 [Rep. in Many Celebrities and a Few Others, Eveleigh Nash, 1912].
• Russell, George W.E. "James Payn," n Selected Essays on Literary Subjects, London: Dent, 1910.
•  Stephen, Leslie (1901). "Payn, James". In Sidney Lee. Dictionary of National Biography, 1901 supplement​. 3. London: Smith, Elder. pp. 253-255.  . Wikisource, Web, Feb. 18, 2018.
• Terry, R.C. Victorian Popular Fiction, 1860–1880, Humanities Press, 1983.
• Wegener, Frederick. "Henry James on James Payn: A Forgotten Critical Text," The New England Quarterly, Vol. 67, No. 1, Mar. 1994.

External links

Poems

• James Payn at Poetry Atlas (5 poems)

Short Stories

• "The Midway Inn," The Nineteenth Century, Vol. V, January/June 1879.
• "Uncle Lock's Legacy," Short Stories, Vol. XI, September/December 1892.
• "A Successful Experiment," Short Stories, Vol. XI, September/December 1892.
• "Rebecca's Remorse." In Short Stories from "Black and White," Chapman & Hall, 1893.
• "A Faithful Retainer." In Stories by English Authors, Charles Scribner's Sons, 1901.

Articles

• "The Critic on the Hearth," The Nineteenth Century, Vol. V, January/June 1879.
• "An Indo-Anglian Poet," The Gentleman's Magazine, Vol. CCXLVI, January/June 1880.
• "Two Infant Phenomenons," The Gentleman's Magazine, Vol. CCXLVI, January/June 1880.
• "Sham Admiration in Literature," The Nineteenth Century, Vol. VII, January/June 1880.
• "The Pinch of Poverty," The Nineteenth Century, Vol. VII, January/June 1880.
• "Success in Fiction," The North American Review, Vol. 140, No. 342, May 1885.
• "On Conversation," The Nineteenth Century, Vol. XLII, July/December 1897.
• "On Old Age," The Nineteenth Century, Vol. XLII, July/December 1897.

Books

• Works by James Payn at Project Gutenberg
• Works by James Payn, at Hathi Trust
• James Payn at Amazon.com

Audio / video

• James Payn public domain audiobooks from LibriVox* Works by James Payn at Harper's Magazine* Works by James Payn, at Unz.org

About

This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Dictionary of National Biography, 1901 supplement (edited by Sidney Lee)​. London: Smith, Elder, 1901. Original article is at: Payn, James