Watts-Dunton, Theodore

Watts-Dunton, Theodore

▪ British critic
in full  Walter Theodore Watts-Dunton , original name  Walter Theodore Watts 
born Oct. 12, 1832, St. Ives, Huntingdonshire, Eng.
died June 6, 1914, London

      English critic and man of letters, who was the friend and, after 1879, protector, agent, and nurse of the poet Algernon Charles Swinburne (Swinburne, Algernon Charles).

      Watts studied law and practiced in London, but his real interest was literature. He contributed regularly to the Examiner and was the chief poetry reviewer of the Athenaeum from 1876 to 1902. He wrote the article on poetry for the 9th edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica (1885). He changed his surname to Watts-Dunton in 1896.

      Much interested in the Roma (Gypsies), he wrote introductions to later editions of George Borrow (Borrow, George)'s books Lavengro and Romany Rye, which had been first published in the 1850s. Watts-Dunton's very successful novel Aylwin (1898) is a romance that also contains a fictional portrait of Dante Gabriel Rossetti (Rossetti, Dante Gabriel) and his circle. His other published works include the novel Vesprie Towers (1916) and a book of poems, The Coming of Love (1897).

      Swinburne, already in poor health, collapsed completely in 1879 but recovered under Watts-Dunton's care, which continued for some 30 years. Watts-Dunton's memoirs, Old Familiar Faces (1916), are a valuable record of his life and times.

Additional Reading
James Douglas, Theodore Watts-Dunton: Poet, Novelist, Critic (1904, reprinted 1973); Thomas Hake and Arthur Compton-Rickett, The Life and Letters of Theodore Watts-Dunton, 2 vol. (1916); Clara Watts-Dunton, The Home Life of Swinburne (1922); Mollie Panter-Downes, At the Pines: Swinburne and Watts-Dunton in Putney (1971).

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Watts-Dunton, Theodore — (b. 1832)    Poet, novelist, and critic. The Coming of Love, Rhona Boswell s Story (1897), Aylwin (1898), Christmas at the Mermaid, The Renascence of Wonder (1903), ed. Borrow s Lavengro and Romany Rye; article Poetry in Encyclopædia Britannica,… …   Short biographical dictionary of English literature

  • Theodore Watts-Dunton — (12 October 1832 6 June 1914) was an English critic and poet. He is now best remembered as the friend and minder of Algernon Charles Swinburne, whom he rescued from alcoholism. Birth and educationWalter Theodore Watts was born at St. Ives in what …   Wikipedia

  • Theodore Watts-Dunton — Walter Theodore Watts oder Watts Dunton (* 12. Oktober 1832 in St. Ives, damals Huntingdonshire; † 6. Juni 1914 in Putney (London)) war ein englischer Poet und Kritiker. Er ist heute eher bekannt als enger Freund von Algernon Charles Swinburne,… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Watts-Dunton, Walter Theodore — (1832 1914)    The eldest child of a solicitor, of St. Ives, Huntingdonshire, he went to school in Cambridge, then became a solicitor in London. From 1874 he worked for two years as literary critic for the Examiner, after which he joined the… …   British and Irish poets

  • Watts-Dunton — /wots dun tn/, n. (Walter) Theodore (Walter Theodore Watts), 1832 1914, English poet, novelist, and critic. * * * …   Universalium

  • Watts-Dunton — /wots dun tn/, n. (Walter) Theodore (Walter Theodore Watts), 1832 1914, English poet, novelist, and critic …   Useful english dictionary

  • Watts-Dunton — biographical name Walter Theodore 1832 1914 English critic & poet …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • Theodore Watts — Walter Theodore Watts oder Watts Dunton (* 12. Oktober 1832 in St. Ives, damals Huntingdonshire; † 6. Juni 1914 in Putney (London)) war ein englischer Poet und Kritiker. Er ist heute eher bekannt als enger Freund von …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Watts (surname) — Watts is a surname, and may refer to* Alan Watts, English philosopher * Alaric Alexander Watts, British poet and journalist * André Watts, German American pianist * Angie Watts, fictional character from EastEnders * Bill Watts, American… …   Wikipedia

  • DUNTON, WATTS —    See WATTS, THEODORE …   The Nuttall Encyclopaedia

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