George Darley facts for kids

George Darley (born 1795, died 1846) was an Irish writer. He was a poet, wrote novels, and was a literary critic. He also wrote books about mathematics. George Darley was friends with famous writers like Charles Lamb, Thomas Carlyle, and John Clare. Some people in the 1840s thought he was as good as Tennyson in his "poetic possibilities." However, the well-known critic George Saintsbury said that Darley "had the marks of a talent that never did what it had it in to do." This means he had great talent but perhaps didn't achieve everything he could have.

Who Was George Darley?

George Darley was born in Dublin, Ireland. His parents were Arthur and Mary Darley. The Darley family was quite important in Dublin at that time. They were even related to the Guinness family, who started the famous Guinness brewing company. George spent his early years at Springfield, a country house in south County Dublin, near Enniskerry in County Wicklow.

Darley's Education and Move to London

George Darley studied at Trinity College Dublin. In 1820, he earned a degree in mathematics and classics. After finishing college, he decided he wanted to be a writer. So, in 1821, he moved to London, England.

In London, he tried to become known by writing poems and plays. However, he found more success getting his work published as a critic. To support himself, he also wrote several math books. These books were part of a series called "Darley's Scientific Library," published by John Taylor. Later in his life, George Darley became very sad and passed away in London on November 23, 1846.

George Darley had a nephew named Dion Boucicault, who became a playwright. His grandnephew, Arthur Warren Darley, was an Irish musician and collected music.

What Did George Darley Write?

George Darley published his first poem, called Errors of Ecstasie, in 1822. He also wrote for a magazine called the London Magazine. He used the pen name "John Lacy" for some of his work there. One of his stories, Lilian of the Vale, appeared in this magazine. It was later included in his collection of short stories, The Labours of Idleness, or, Seven Nights' Experiments (1826). For this book, he used another pen name, "Guy Penseval."

After these, he wrote other books, including a poem called Sylvia, or The May Queen (1827).

Darley's Work as a Critic and Editor

Later, Darley started working for Athenaeum magazine. He became known as a very strict critic there. He also wrote plays and studied old English plays. In 1840, he edited the plays of Beaumont and Fletcher. One of his poems, "It is not beauty I demand," was put into a famous collection called Golden Treasury by F. T. Palgrave. At first, it was thought to be an anonymous poem from the 1600s.

George Darley also wrote many songs. One popular song was "I've been Roaming," which was even praised by the famous poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge.

Darley's Mathematical Books

Besides writing poems and stories, George Darley was also a mathematician. He published several books on math, including:

• A System of Popular Algebra (around 1826)
• A System of Popular Geometry (1826)
• A System of Popular Trigonometry (1827)
• The Geometrical Companion (1828)
• Familiar Astronomy (1830)

How Was George Darley Seen by Others?

Many famous writers thought highly of George Darley. A. E. Housman once talked about a part of Darley's poem Nepenthe. He said that Darley's description of the sea was so real that "the man who wrote it had seen the sea, and the man who reads it sees the sea again."

Darley was friends with well-known literary figures such as Charles Lamb, Thomas Carlyle, John Clare, Allan Cunningham, and Monckton Milnes. In the 1840s, many people thought he had as much "poetic possibilities" as Tennyson, who was a very famous poet. However, as the critic George Saintsbury noted, Darley had a great talent that "never did what it had it in to do."

As a critic, Darley was considered very skilled. But he could be very harsh when reviewing authors he didn't like, which sometimes made people upset with him.

Images for kids

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  George Darley's family crest, confirmed in 1804.