The Shadow of Great Britain

This article, written by Mr. Eld Carter in South America, was sent back to London by letter, polished and edited, and anonymously published in the short poetry column of the January 1832 issue of “The British” semi-monthly magazine.

Due to the use of a large number of controversial words and phrases, it was met with fierce criticism from “Blackwood’s” resident Lake Poets like Wordsworth and Southey as soon as it was published.

Robert Southey bluntly said: “The filthiness of this poem is comparable to the sewage outlet of the Thames River. The publication of this poem for the classical literature community of Britain is akin to a terrorist attack. This is not only a defilement of the entire British literary world but also a blasphemy against traditional Christian morals and values. The poet who wrote this poem is immoral, blasphemous, a poet of the degenerate era, and his purpose in writing this poem is to lead everyone to Hell.”

In response, Alfred Tennyson, the editor of romantic literature at “The British” magazine, issued a public apology in the second half of the January 1832 issue of “The British” and stated that the manuscript would be withdrawn. He also promised to increase the scrutiny and verification of submitted manuscripts in the future.

In early March, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland’s Lower House Book Publishing Committee notified the Greater London Police Department, listing this series of poems and books like “Red and Black” on the new list of banned publications for ‘inducing bad social trends and corrupting Christian morals.’ The enforcement of this ban was entrusted to Arthur Hastings, the Assistant Police Director of the Greater London Police Department.

“Lethe”

Oh cruel and heartless soul, nestling close to my chest,

You cold monster, my beloved tigress.

My trembling fingers wish to forever

Bury deep into your thick hair.

Your petticoats diffuse a fragrance,

I wish to hide my aching head,

And like a withered flower,

Sniff the stale scent of past love.

I truly wish to sleep! More than the desire to live!

Sleep like death in sweet dreams,

Imprinting endless, unrepentant kisses,

All over your bronze smooth and beautiful body.

To swallow my just calmed sobs,

Nothing matches your abyssal bed of flowers;

On your vermilion lips resides powerful forgetting,

Lethe flows in your kisses.

I resign myself, henceforth content and tranquil,

Like a soul finally redeemed and liberated;

A docile sacrifice, an innocent prisoner,

The ecstasy will fan the flame of his torments,

To dispel grievances, I’ll sip

The elixir of Lethe’s dew and poison hemlock,

On your sharp and seductive xx,

Never confining my spirit’s longing.

Though the poetry collection has been listed among banned publications, due to the rampant activity in the underground publishing market in London, the series still garnered fairly widespread readership.

Upon the attack on the poetry collection by “Blackwood’s,” Alexander Dumas, a famous fashion novelist of “The British,” authored an opposing viewpoint, satirizing Robert Southey.

“After the publication of the ‘Lethe’ series of poems, I noticed a strange phenomenon. Those who usually pride themselves on being the most virtuous, most perfect, and most noble gentlemen and ladies were all outraged, while the least virtuous, most flawed, and most petty-minded commoners had less intense reactions. This phenomenon truly makes me very curious, why do the reactions of commoners and gentlemen/layers differ so much?

With such doubts, I asked a butcher who sells offal for his views on those controversial poems. This burly gentleman, while wiping his hands on his greasy, reflective apron, laughed and said to me, ‘Sir, why should I be angry? What’s written there is not about my disgraceful deeds.’”

The debate between Great Dumas and Robert Southey continued to escalate. According to “The Times,” the editorial offices of “The British” and “Blackwood’s” were only separated by one building on Fleet Street.

The editorial office of “The Morning Chronicle,” sandwiched between the two, joked: “Every day when we come to work, we can smell the scent of gunpowder permeating the air. But we are not surprised, because many on Fleet Street know that before coming to London, Mr. Dumas was quite the sharpshooter. The editor of the ‘Illustrated London News,’ Mr. Clark, and Mrs. Galland, who played the Count of Monte Cristo, can testify to this. The only regrettable thing is that Mr. Dumas often uses different calibers of guns when dealing with men and women.”

…

This article was published in the second half of the November 1831 issue of “The British” by His Excellency Agares, a retired Demon Lord level executive from Hell who once controlled 31 demon legions, the Grand Duke of Hell, guide to King Solomon, the legendary Red Devil.

“The Decline of British Morals Due to the Average Intelligence Level Drop”

“Ah! You young people of this new century, you young kids are getting more and more indulgent and frivolous! In my youth, people valued humility and seriousness, and knew to respect the guidance of the wise. But now, these kids? Their behavior is utterly unrestrained, and they don’t even understand what manners are.

You will never understand that true wisdom comes from inner cultivation and reverence for the external world, and not from reckless pursuit of trends, losing the restraint of tradition and the foundation of morality. Without these, you are nothing. You act on your own initiative, thinking yourself very clever. Do you think you have the wisdom of King Solomon?””