Arthur O'Shaughnessy, A Pre-Raphaelite Poet in the British Museum

In her study of Arthur O''Shaughnessy (1844-1881), Jordan Kistler examines the Pre-Raphaelite poet''s work in the context of his career as a natural historian at the British Museum. Making use of extensive archival research, she demonstrates O''Shaughnessy''s importance to the cultural milieu of the 1870s, particularly his contributions to English aestheticism, his role in the importation of decadence from France, and his unique position within contemporary debates on science and literature.

Arthur O''Shaughnessy''s career as a natural historian in the British Museum, and his consequent preoccupation with the role of work in his life, provides the context with which to reexamine his contributions to Victorian poetry. O''Shaughnessy''s engagement with aestheticism, socialism, and Darwinian theory can be traced to his career as a Junior Assistant at the British Museum, and his perception of the burden of having to earn a living outside of art. Making use of extensive archival research, Jordan Kistler demonstrates that far from being merely a minor poet, O''Shaughnessy was at the forefront of later Victorian avant-garde poetry. Her analyses of published and unpublished writings, including correspondence, poetic manuscripts, and scientific notebooks, demonstrate O''Shaughnessy''s importance to the cultural milieu of the 1870s, particularly his contributions to English aestheticism, his role in the importation of decadence from France, and his unique position within contemporary debates on science and literature.