I love that I found your work--these stories are so important for more people to know, and I'm grateful to learn more about Levy's work--I bought Romance of a Shop some time ago after first learning about her, but knew little else. And how much the work of creators is truly a web tied to other strings for anchors--fantastic read!
Amy Levy, like many others who could not go on, was so much more than how she died. Thank you for shining a spotlight on how she lived and told what she knew. Ellen, too, is a fascinating character—as scholar, as mentor, as wife in a trail-blazing marriage.
This is all so fascinating. Frances Cornford used to sometimes come to our old café in Ely. My best friend was distantly related to Darwin, from another big Jewish family with connections to Cambridge. She (best friend) passed away in 2022 and ever since, I've been stumbling across amazing little insights into these connected worlds. Sending very best wishes :)
Thanks Lizzy! I republished this as I wanted to add in some new information I’d found in the Frances Cornford archives. So it’s lovely to have this personal story of yours.
I'm so sorry - I was thinking of Frances after reading your piece but it was another relative who came to the café (this was about 8 years ago!) - Amanda I think. I'll have to check how she was related.
Thanks Ann - that'll teach me for commenting on something late in the evening!! I think she married Frances' grandson. She played the slightly obscure instrument the hurdy-gurdy, as did my aforementioned best friend Clare. So they knew of each other (hurdy-gurdy is a small world I believe..!!), and knew they were distantly related, but never seemed to cross paths in Ely. Additionally, perhaps you know my friend Sally who works on the Darwin archives at the university library :) Best wishes again x
Thank you for this glimpse into the lives of both Amy Levy and Ellen Crofts. I am fascinated by a world where a woman can be connected to both the names of Wordsworth and Darwin. What a small, heady world. And how tenacious Levy must have been to read and write with so little sense of belonging.
What a great point you make, Tara, about the two famous families Ellen Crofts was connected to. That must have brought its own pressures, and the fact that she plays with different signatures (as she is about to gain another one) perhaps reveals her anxiety about where she herself stood. Tenacious strikes me as a very good way of describing Amy Levy too.
I'm always fascinated by the interconnections of the Victorian intelligentsia...fancy bring related to the Wordsworth and Sidgwick families and then marrying a Darwin! I came across it all the time writing about Macmillan and the Tobacco Parliament as well.
What an interesting web of connections! But that's never a surprise in Cambridge. My little connection to Ellen Darwin's family is my love for the place where Francis and Frances are buried, Ascenion Parish Burial Ground. I actually recently cross posted an old piece I wrote while living in Cambridge: https://annethomas.substack.com/p/ascension-parish?utm_source=profile&utm_medium=reader2
Thank you very much for this piece. It’s a beautiful piece, and written with such care and insight. And…as others below have commented, the interconnectedness of things and people is often fascinating and produces these bursts of thought and work.
Like Rona, I deeply appreciate your decision to write about Levy’s life, without the “sad woman” story of her death overshadowing it. Another genius you’ve rescued from the archives. I’m new to Levy; thank you for the introduction.
Fascinating to learn about Amy Levy, who I'd never heard of though have read about Ellen Darwin in Gwen's Raverat's memoir, and Frances Cornford recently in Not Far From Brideshead. I'm intrigued by her novel about women photographers, having read and written about Lettice Ramsay who felt fairly groundbreaking but would have been considerably later!
Thank you for sharing this look at Amy Levy! I'm not sure she is someone who is talked about much. I 'discovered' her work during my MA studies a couple of years ago, and wrote a piece about her poetry collection 'A London Plane Tree' as part of a female interpretation of the urban pastoral tradition. I love the way her poetry combines nature with the urbanity of the city. Great essay :)
This story is both heartwarming and sad. Thanks for sharing it, Ann. I think it highlights, for me, the enormously important role professors, lecturers, and supervisors have on students' progress and overall happiness.
This was such an interesting read! And Levy is new to me so thank you for the new writer to explore.
I love that I found your work--these stories are so important for more people to know, and I'm grateful to learn more about Levy's work--I bought Romance of a Shop some time ago after first learning about her, but knew little else. And how much the work of creators is truly a web tied to other strings for anchors--fantastic read!
Amy Levy, like many others who could not go on, was so much more than how she died. Thank you for shining a spotlight on how she lived and told what she knew. Ellen, too, is a fascinating character—as scholar, as mentor, as wife in a trail-blazing marriage.
This is all so fascinating. Frances Cornford used to sometimes come to our old café in Ely. My best friend was distantly related to Darwin, from another big Jewish family with connections to Cambridge. She (best friend) passed away in 2022 and ever since, I've been stumbling across amazing little insights into these connected worlds. Sending very best wishes :)
Thanks Lizzy! I republished this as I wanted to add in some new information I’d found in the Frances Cornford archives. So it’s lovely to have this personal story of yours.
I'm so sorry - I was thinking of Frances after reading your piece but it was another relative who came to the café (this was about 8 years ago!) - Amanda I think. I'll have to check how she was related.
Ah yes, I wasn’t sure how long ago that was. Love your description of connected worlds- thanks for your insights.
Thanks Ann - that'll teach me for commenting on something late in the evening!! I think she married Frances' grandson. She played the slightly obscure instrument the hurdy-gurdy, as did my aforementioned best friend Clare. So they knew of each other (hurdy-gurdy is a small world I believe..!!), and knew they were distantly related, but never seemed to cross paths in Ely. Additionally, perhaps you know my friend Sally who works on the Darwin archives at the university library :) Best wishes again x
Thank you for this glimpse into the lives of both Amy Levy and Ellen Crofts. I am fascinated by a world where a woman can be connected to both the names of Wordsworth and Darwin. What a small, heady world. And how tenacious Levy must have been to read and write with so little sense of belonging.
What a great point you make, Tara, about the two famous families Ellen Crofts was connected to. That must have brought its own pressures, and the fact that she plays with different signatures (as she is about to gain another one) perhaps reveals her anxiety about where she herself stood. Tenacious strikes me as a very good way of describing Amy Levy too.
I'm always fascinated by the interconnections of the Victorian intelligentsia...fancy bring related to the Wordsworth and Sidgwick families and then marrying a Darwin! I came across it all the time writing about Macmillan and the Tobacco Parliament as well.
What an interesting web of connections! But that's never a surprise in Cambridge. My little connection to Ellen Darwin's family is my love for the place where Francis and Frances are buried, Ascenion Parish Burial Ground. I actually recently cross posted an old piece I wrote while living in Cambridge: https://annethomas.substack.com/p/ascension-parish?utm_source=profile&utm_medium=reader2
Thank you, Anne, for your beautiful piece about a magical, hidden away place.
Have you ever been there?
Yes! But not as often as I'd like. Your words have inspired me to plan my next trip.
Thanks once again Ann,
Its a interesting but sad story though
Well done Ann- Any Levy certainly deserves to be remembered and your work adds links and references which add much to her story
Thank you Maggie! Just spotted this - much appreciated.
Thank you very much for this piece. It’s a beautiful piece, and written with such care and insight. And…as others below have commented, the interconnectedness of things and people is often fascinating and produces these bursts of thought and work.
I loved reading it.
Thanks so much Nicolas, that's so kind of you. Sorry it took me a while to see your comment!
Poignant… Sad business, always feeling oneself an outsider, and not helped by the ripe air of condescension.
Like Rona, I deeply appreciate your decision to write about Levy’s life, without the “sad woman” story of her death overshadowing it. Another genius you’ve rescued from the archives. I’m new to Levy; thank you for the introduction.
Fascinating to learn about Amy Levy, who I'd never heard of though have read about Ellen Darwin in Gwen's Raverat's memoir, and Frances Cornford recently in Not Far From Brideshead. I'm intrigued by her novel about women photographers, having read and written about Lettice Ramsay who felt fairly groundbreaking but would have been considerably later!
Thank you for sharing this look at Amy Levy! I'm not sure she is someone who is talked about much. I 'discovered' her work during my MA studies a couple of years ago, and wrote a piece about her poetry collection 'A London Plane Tree' as part of a female interpretation of the urban pastoral tradition. I love the way her poetry combines nature with the urbanity of the city. Great essay :)
This story is both heartwarming and sad. Thanks for sharing it, Ann. I think it highlights, for me, the enormously important role professors, lecturers, and supervisors have on students' progress and overall happiness.
On a complete other note Is there anything like it for the other place, Oxford?