THE WRITINGS OF JAMES STEPHENS By the same author THE DREAM PHYSICIAN, by Edward Martyn (editor) EDUCATION FOR THE ITINERANT STUDENT JAMES STEPHENS Photograph by courtesy of Mrs Iris Wise THE WRITINGS OF JAMES STEPHENS Variations on a Theme of Love Patricia 11cFate © Patricia McFate 1979 Softcover reprint ofthe hardcover 1st edition 1979 978-1-349-16029-7 All rights reserved, No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without permission First published 1979 by THE MACMILLAN PRESS LTD London and Basingstoke Assoeiated eompanies in Delhi Dublin Hong Kong Johannesburg Lagos Melbourne New rork Singapore Tokyo Typeset in (;reat Britain hy SANTYPE LTD, SALISBURY British Library Cataloguing in PublicatioD Data McFate, Patricia The writings of James Stephens I, Stephens, James, b, 18 82~Criticism and interpretation I. Title 821 ',9'1 2 PR6037,T4 Z ISBN 978-1-349-16029-7 ISBN 978-1-349-16027-3 (eBook) DOI 10.1007/978-1-349-16027-3 This book is sold suhjeet to the standard eonditions 01 the Net Book Agreement For Mary Bliss McFate and Warren Cheston Contents Acknowled,gements x Chronology xu Stephens: the Man, the Writer, the Enigma 2 The Dance of Life 23 3 The Quest that Destiny Commands 58 4 Make it Sing/Make it New 88 5 The Art and Craft of Prose 120 6 The Marriage of the Contraries 142 Notes and Riferences 155 Selected Bibliography 168 Index of Works by James Stephens 173 General Index 178 Acknowledgements Many people have contributed to this book, but none so much as Iris and Norman Wise. Their kindness and help have been a constant encouragement. Indeed, the book would not have been possible without the aid of Iris Wise; she has been most generous with her time and her information. Professor Richard Finneran has also been obliging to me in many ways. It was through his good offices that I first met Mr. and Mrs. Wise, and I wish to thank him particularly for that courtesy. His edition of the Stephens Letters has been consulted frequently in the writing of the book; and his chronology is one of the sources for the one which appears in this volume. The initial research for this book has been aided immeasur- ably by Dr. Lola Szladits, Curator, the Henry W. and Albert A. Berg Collection of the New York Public Library. Professor Daniel Murphy has offered invaluable assistance with my research in Ireland. Professor Richard Ellmann has served as mentor, critic of my work, and good friend for many years. Others who, in the past and present, have given freely of their time and to whom I am indebted include M. L. Rosenthal, Liam Miller, Maurice Harmon, William Feeney, Donald Torchiana, the late John Gordan, Vivian Mercier, Janet Fendrych, Mrs. Thomas Bodkin, Mervyn Wall, Marjorie Wynn, Michael Hanlon, Kenneth Goldstein, James McNulty, Acknowledgements Xl and David Parson. My indebtedness to Sarkes Tarzian IS beyond recompense. For her participation in the bibliographical aspects of the study, lowe a debt of gratitude to Doretta Fuhs. I wish to thank Pam Gennusa, Loretta Dentley, and Miriam Boykin for cheerfully typing the many drafts of these chapters. The research support p.rovided by the Office of the Chancel- lor and the Graduate College of the University of Illinois at Chicago Circle and the staff support in the Office of the Vice Provost of the University of Pennsylvania are grate- fully acknowledged. The Staffs of the Berg Collection, the National Library of Ireland, Newberry Library of Chicago, Northwestern University Library, and the British Museum have been consistently helpful. The people to whom this book is dedicated provided the patience and understanding necessary to a writer. My mother and father encouraged me to begin my first studies of James Stephens fifteen years ago. Since that time, my mother and her family have given me more love and attention than I deserve. Warren Cheston is, in a real sense, responsible for the best parts of this book. For permission to quote from the printed works and manu- scripts of James Stephens, I am indebted to Mrs. Iris Wise; the Society of Authors, London; and the Henry W. and Albert A. Berg Collection, the New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox and Tilden Foundations. Quotations from Letters rif James Stephens are reprinted by permission of Macmillan, London and Basingstoke. "And It Was Windy Weather" is reprinted with the permission of Macmillan Publishing Company, Inc., New York.