Mary Joyce
A Novel
John Clare’s Muse
by
Russell C. Carter
Although Mary Joyce was a key figure in the life of John Clare (1793 – 1864), said by many to be England’s greatest nature poet and known variously as the Green Man, the English Burns, and the Northamptonshire Peasant Poet, very little is known about her beyond what the poet himself has told us. This book is, strictly speaking, a work of fiction but the author has skilfully used details from John Clare’s own writings to construct a picture, written from the perspective of Mary’s life, of how things probably were. Whether you are a John Clare enthusiast or have never heard of him, you will probably find this book a fascinating read.
John and Mary both attended the vestry school in Glinton church and subsequently John undoubtedly fell in love with her. Mary, who never married despite being a fair haired beauty, may well have had similar feelings for John, but the sharp class distinctions of early 19th century England meant that a mere agricultural labourer was unlikely ever to be accepted as a suitable match for a prosperous farmer’s daughter. By the time he achieved the literary fame which just might have enabled this barrier to be overcome, he was in any case already married. There is a sense that the poet’s poignant hankering for ‘what might have been’ probably contributed to his eventual commitment to a lunatic asylum. However the author has found a brilliant way to lend a different perspective to the matter by adding an epilogue describing the same story from the viewpoint of John’s wife, Patty.
Russell C Carter is a member of the John Clare Society and also a life member of the Brontë Society. His first “love” in English Literature is Jane Eyre.
ISBN: 978-1-906302-12-2
PRICE: £9.95 (plus P & P £3.00 UK, £4.00 EU, £6.50 RoW)
Blenheim Press Ltd
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