Item 11.20 - Manuscript, Jonathan, a lyrico-drama, by E. W. Gosse

1 vol., c. 192 x 164 x 7 mm. 3 unnumbered ff.; ff. 1-48; 1 unnumbered f.; rest of book blank except for three ff. at the end.

Gift of Philip H. G. Gosse (1879-1959), 6 June 1941.

The essay is in Gosse’s own hand, and his name is written at the head and initials at the end. A note at the end of the work reads: 'The whole of this drama was written, in the intervals of school-work, in 10 days. The lyrics were genuinely composed at the points at wh. they are inserted. The pencilled notes & some of the stage directions are in my father's hand. The first draft occupied six days, & was principally written lying on the old sofa in the Boy's Sitting- Room at Thorn Park. The remainder of the time was occupied in revision and transcription. The idea was suggested to me by my dear father, but as I did not seem to respond to it, he was, I believe, equally surprised and gratified when I laid on his table two weeks afterwards'.

The first page at the back of the book has a timetable headed 'Routine', with time set aside for 'Letters', 'D. L', reading aloud, German, Greek, Italian and Latin, and a note of whether Gosse is 'Out', 'At Home', or 'part At Home'. A table is drawn out on the next page for 4-20 November, with headings 'Letters', 'D. L. tr.', 'D. L. com', 'Italian', 'German', 'Greek', 'Latin'; however, only the line for the first day, 4 Nov. is filled in, with entries under Italian-Latin of 'Metastasio. Goethe. Theocritos. Horace'. The next page has a similar table which is completely blank.