Swinburne’s Boyishness

Abstract This article reconsiders the early critical reception of Algernon Charles Swinburne’s 1866 collection Poems and Ballads with a view to articulating extent which hostility that famously greeted book upon publication was mediated by category ‘boyishness’. I show complaint 29-year-old Swinburne wrote, implication thought felt, too much like boy not enough an adult man lay at core onslaught contributed underpin critics’ various complaints obscenity, blasphemy, bad taste so on. After considering nature connection between boyish quality often associated as person throughout his life poetical ‘boyishness’ critics perceived in work, propose taxonomy three main meanings boyishness emerge from attacks: lack virility, self-restraint, intellectual maturity. By analysing these readings context medical, pedagogical more broadly cultural discourses time, make case found himself cast someone who presented precisely characteristics boyhood functioning supposed rid himself. The broader argument is giving close attention age-based slurs, we can gain fine-grained account mid-Victorian attitudes childhood maturity, society’s self-image generally.