E. S. Dallas
E. S. Dallas, born in Jamaica in 1828 and raised in Scotland, was a notable writer and literary critic who made significant contributions to 19th-century literature. Initially aiming for a career in ministry, he shifted his focus to writing, founding the Edinburgh Guardian in the early 1850s, where he published philosophical reviews. Dallas gained recognition for his first book, "Poetics: An Essay on Poetry," which discussed the shared nature of artistic pleasure between creators and audiences. His literary career flourished in London, where he became a prominent critic for the Times, delivering influential reviews that notably supported authors like George Eliot and Charles Dickens. Dallas's work often emphasized the importance of art for its own sake and the psychological aspects of pleasure in his later publication, "The Gay Science." However, personal challenges, including a tumultuous divorce and struggles with addiction, led to a decline in his career towards the end of his life. Dallas passed away in 1879, leaving behind a legacy of critical thought and literary appreciation.
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Subject Terms
E. S. Dallas
Writer
- Born: 1828
- Birthplace: Jamaica
- Died: January 17, 1879
- Place of death: London, England
Biography
Although he was born in Jamaica in 1828, Eneas Sweetland Dallas moved to his parents’ native home of Scotland at the age of four. Priming for a career in ministry, Dallas studied philosophy at the University of Edinburgh. After his dream was derailed for personal reasons, he founded the Edinburgh Guardian in the early 1850’s, writing reviews on philosophy. It was around this time, as his writing career was getting started, that E.S. Dallas married the famous actress Isabella Glyn, with whom he remained for over a decade. Early into his marriage, Dallas moved to London, where he stayed until his death.
His released his first work, Poetics: An Essay on Poetry, in 1852. It centered on philosophical arguments regarding poetry and the concept of pleasure. Dallas contended that pleasure was something to be shared by artists and their audiences, rather than simply having artists hoard it for themselves.
In 1855, he began critiquing poetry for the Times; his anonymously published sharp criticism of Alfred, Lord Tennyson was met with astonishment as to who had written it. Dallas’s favorable reviews of George Eliot helped establish her place as an author, and his review of Charles Dickens’s Our Mutual Friend delighted Dickens so much that he offered the original manuscript to Dallas. Since there were so few prominent reviewers at the time, Dallas was often credited for boosting book sales significantly simply because of his appealing reviews. From his perch atop the literary reviewing world, Dallas was able to delve into journalism, covering the Paris Exhibition of 1867 as well as producing many opinion pieces on a variety of cultural topics.
E. S. Dallas made his second foray into book publishing with his 1866 two-volume work The Gay Science, a platform for him to explore the psychological workings of the “inner soul” and the pursuit of pleasure itself being pleasurable. This work also argued that true art ought to be for art’s sake and could be appreciated by masses of people rather than aesthetic connoisseurs. Following a messy divorce from his wife in the late 1860’s, rumored to suffer from addictions to opium and alcohol, E. S. Dallas was reduced to writing food columns in minor publications. Dallas passed away in 1879.