Amy Judith Levy (10 November 1861 – 9 September 1889) was an English essayist, poet, and novelist best remembered for her literary gifts; her experience as the second Jewish woman at

Cambridge University , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

, and as the first Jewish student at Newnham College, Cambridge; her feminist positions; her friendships with others living what came later to be called a "

New Woman The New Woman was a feminism, feminist ideal that emerged first wave feminism, in the late 19th century and had a profound influence well into the 20th century. In 1894, Irish writer Sarah Grand (1854–1943) used the term "new woman" in an inf ...

" life, some of whom were lesbians; and her relationships with both women and men in literary and politically activist circles in London during the 1880s.

Biography

Early life and education

Levy was born in

Clapham Clapham () is a suburb in south west London, England, lying mostly within the London Borough of Lambeth, but with some areas (most notably Clapham Common) extending into the neighbouring London Borough of Wandsworth. History Early history ...

, an affluent district of London, on 10 November 1861, to Lewis and Isobel Levy. She was the second of seven children born into a Jewish family with a "casual attitude toward religious observance", who sometimes attended a Reform synagogue in Upper Berkeley Street, the

West London Synagogue The West London Synagogue of British Jews, abbreviated WLS ( he, ק"ק שער ציון, ''Kahal Kadosh Sha'ar Tziyon'', "Holy Congregation Gate of Zion"), is a synagogue and congregation, affiliated to Reform Judaism, near Marble Arch in centr ...

. As an adult, Levy continued to identify herself as Jewish and wrote for '' The Jewish Chronicle''. Levy showed an interest in literature from an early age. At 13, she wrote a criticism of Elizabeth Barrett Browning's feminist work ''

Aurora Leigh ''Aurora Leigh'' (1856) is an epic poem/novel by Elizabeth Barrett Browning. The poem is written in blank verse and encompasses nine books (the woman's number, the number of the Sibylline Books). It is a first-person narration, from the point of ...

''; at 14, Levy's first poem, "Ida Grey: A Story of Woman's Sacrifice", was published in the journal ''Pelican''. Her family was supportive of women's education and encouraged Amy's literary interests; in 1876, she was sent to Brighton and Hove High School and later studied at Newnham College, Cambridge. Levy was the first Jewish student at Newnham when she arrived in 1879 but left before her final year. Her circle of friends included Clementina Black,

Ellen Wordsworth Darwin Ellen Wordsworth Darwin (née Crofts; 13 January 1856 – 28 August 1903) was an academic, a fellow and lecturer in English Literature at Newnham College in Cambridge (1879-1883), a member of the private and scholarly Ladies Dining Societ ...

Dollie Radford Caroline Maitland (1858–1920) was an English poet and writer. She worked under the name "Dollie Radford" after she married Ernest Radford. Life Maitland was born in 1858 and in 1880 she met her future husband in the British Museum Reading Room ...

, Eleanor Marx (daughter of Karl Marx), and

Olive Schreiner Olive Schreiner (24 March 1855 – 11 December 1920) was a South African author, anti-war campaigner and intellectual. She is best remembered today for her novel '' The Story of an African Farm'' (1883), which has been highly acclaimed. It dea ...

. While travelling in Florence in 1886, Levy met

Vernon Lee Vernon Lee was the pseudonym of the British writer Violet Paget (14 October 1856 – 13 February 1935). She is remembered today primarily for her supernatural fiction and her work on aesthetics. An early follower of Walter Pater, she wrote o ...

, a fiction writer and literary theorist six years her senior, and fell in love with her. Both women went on to explore the themes of

sapphic love Terms used to describe homosexuality have gone through many changes since the emergence of the first terms in the mid-19th century. In English, some terms in widespread use have been sodomite, Achillean, Sapphic, Uranian, homophile, lesbian, ...

in their works. Lee inspired Levy's poem "To Vernon Lee".

Literary career

The Romance of a Shop ''The Romance of a Shop'' is an 1888 novel by Amy Levy. The novel centers on the Lorimer sisters, who decide to open their own photography business after the death of their father leaves them in poverty. The novel examines the opportunities and ...

'' (1888), Levy's first novel, is regarded as an early "

" novel and depicts four sisters who experience the difficulties and opportunities afforded to women running a business in 1880s London, Levy wrote her second novel, ''Reuben Sachs'' (1888), to fill the literary need for "serious treatment ... of the complex problem of Jewish life and Jewish character", which she identified and discussed in a 1886 article "The Jew in Fiction." Levy wrote stories, essays, and poems for popular or literary periodicals; the stories "Cohen of Trinity" and "Wise in Their Generation", both published in

Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish poet and playwright. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular playwrights in London in the early 1890s. He is ...

's magazine '' The Woman's World'', are among her most notable. In 1886, Levy began writing a series of essays on Jewish culture and literature for ''The Jewish Chronicle'', including ''The Ghetto at Florence'', ''The Jew in Fiction'', ''Jewish Humour'', and ''Jewish Children.'' Levy's works of poetry, including the daring ''A Ballad of Religion and Marriage'', reveal her feminist concerns. ''

Xantippe and Other Verses Xanthippe (; , , ; 5th–4th century BCE) was an ancient Athenian, the wife of Socrates and mother of their three sons: Lamprocles, Sophroniscus, and Menexenus. She was likely much younger than Socrates, perhaps by as much as 40 years. Name X ...

'' (1881) includes "Xantippe", a poem in the voice of Socrates's wife; the volume ''A Minor Poet and Other Verse'' (1884) includes more dramatic monologues as well as lyric poems. Her final book of poems, ''A London Plane-Tree'' (1889), contains lyrics that are among the first to show the influence of French symbolism.

Sexuality

Levy remains a topic of discussion amongst scholars in terms of whether or not she is to be considered a Victorian Lesbian writer. She had sent several poems to her friend Violet Paget, also known as Vernon Lee, confessing her love. These poems include her famous works "To Vernon Lee" and "New Love, New Life." Both of these pieces express messages of unrequited love to another woman. Scholars continue to debate if these gestures were that of friendship or intense passion.

Death

Levy experienced episodes of

major depression Major depressive disorder (MDD), also known as clinical depression, is a mental disorder characterized by at least two weeks of pervasive low mood, low self-esteem, and loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities. Introd ...

from an early age. In her later years, her depression worsened in connection to her distress surrounding her romantic relationships and her awareness of her growing deafness. On 9 September 1889, two months away from her 28th birthday, she died by suicide "at the residence of her parents ... t

Endsleigh Gardens Endsleigh Gardens is a street in the Bloomsbury district of central London, in the London Borough of Camden. It runs south-west to north-east from Gordon Street to Woburn Place. The south-west end becomes Gower Place after the junction with Gord ...

" by inhaling

carbon monoxide Carbon monoxide (chemical formula CO) is a colorless, poisonous, odorless, tasteless, flammable gas that is slightly less dense than air. Carbon monoxide consists of one carbon atom and one oxygen atom connected by a triple bond. It is the simpl ...

. Oscar Wilde wrote an obituary for her in ''The Women's World'' in which he praised her gifts. The first Jewish woman to be cremated in England, her ashes were buried at

Balls Pond Road Cemetery Balls Pond Road Cemetery, also known as Jewish (West London Reform) Cemetery, Kingsbury Road Cemetery, Balls Pond Burial Ground and The Jewish Burial Ground, is a Jewish cemetery on Kingsbury Road, Dalston, London N1. It was founded in 1843 an ...

in London.

Legacy

In 1993, Melyvn New produced a compilation of Levy's works, published as ''The Complete Novels and Selected Writings of Amy Levy: 1861–1889''.

Selected works

* ''Xantippe and Other Verse'' (1881) * ''A Minor Poet and Other Verse'' (1884) * ''

'' (1888) novel (republished in 2005 by Black Apollo Press) * ''Reuben Sachs: A Sketch'' (1888) (republished in 2001 by

Persephone Books ''Persephone Books'' is an independent publisher based in Bath, England. Founded in 1999 by Nicola Beauman, Persephone Books reprints works largely by women writers of the late 19th and 20th century, though a few books by men are included. The ...

) * ''A London Plane-Tree and Other Verse'' (1889) * ''Miss Meredith'' (1889; a novel) * ''The Complete Novels and Selected Writings of Amy Levy: 1861–1889'' (1993)

Biography

Early life and education

Literary career

Sexuality

Death

Legacy

Selected works

Notes

References

Further reading

External links