Susan Tyler Hitchcock’s recent work Mad Mary Lamb: Lunacy and Murder
in Literary London is a rather unique account of the major, and ill
acknowledged, impact Mary Lamb had on literature in nineteenth century
London.  The main theme of the book is
an eloquent exposition of the lives of Mary and Charles Lamb, the relationship
both had with some malady of the mind, and their lasting contribution to
literature.

In September of 1796 Mary Lamb, in a fit of what the courts described as
lunacy, killed her mother with a carving knife.  Hitchcock reconstructs an account of this event, inspired by
historical evidence, demonstrating how Mary’s circumstances directly
contributed to the murder of her mother. 
The result of the murder is twofold: first a brief visit to a mental
institution, and second the inexorable link forged between Mary and Charles
Lamb.  For the remainder of their years
brother and sister lived in an almost symbiotic relationship sharing everything
from accommodation to literary inspiration, and even a little the lunacy that so
impacted Mary’s life.  The Lambs also
became the epicenter of a literary circle including such auspicious names as
Samuel Taylor Coleridge and William Wordsworth, and as the years went by both
had, according to Hitchcock, a profound influence on some of histories most
significant literary figures.  Indeed
the Lambs own work was highly significant; Charles was a renowned essayist, and
Mary (collaborating with Charles) wrote three books for children, the most
famous being Shakespear Tales an adaptation of various Shakespearean
plays for children.

The real purpose of Hitchcock’s book is to dissolve the anonymity that
surrounds Mary Lamb’s literary contribution, in a style which is as creative and
sensitive as Lamb’s own.  Hitchcock’s
work is not only a scholarly bibliographic account of Mary Lamb, but an
accessible and entertaining story of her life. 
The author engages the reader with the tragedies and triumphs of Charles
and Mary Lamb in a fashion which is part novel, part bibliography and part
poetry.  Hitchcock includes numerous
references and examples of the Lamb’s work, and often employs them to good
effect as elements of the larger tale she herself is weaving.  Mary Lamb is portrayed as a woman of
intelligence, sensitivity and passion; a strong literary talent in the same age
as Wollstoncraft, whose contribution was subtle yet far reaching.  If we are to believe Hitchcock’s account,
which is strongly convincing, then Mary Lamb not only made her own important literary
contribution, but bolstered Charles’ contribution through continuing support
and criticism.  It is likely that each
had a constant influence on the others work, and as such Charles renown is, in
part, the result of his sister Mary’s intellect.

In essence the motivation behind Hitchcock’s book is to coax a publicly
shy feminist figure out of the shadows, and reveal her unique creativity and
talent to the world.  However Mary’s
life is riddled with periodic boats of lunacy, of which she is explicitly
aware, causing recurrent trips to various asylums.  Hitchcock draws connections between Mary’s affliction and
episodes attributed to other literary figures, many of whom were personal
acquaintances of the Lambs. 
Furthermore, she also points out that Mary’s illness would likely be one
for which there is treatment today, and her account of the build up to Mary’s
only significant act of lunacy encourage sympathy and compassion from the
reader.  Hitchcock argues that this
single act of lunacy caused a unique bond between brother and sister, and
allowed Mary to move outside the scope of acceptable behavior.  Mary Lamb’s lunacy allowed her to breach the
social barriers experienced by 19^th century women and achieve a
level of individuality that would not have been available in ordinary
circumstances.  Mary was, in social
terms, liminal. But her liminality provided her with the ability to be an
individual, affording her the opportunity to develop ideas, debate philosophies,
and cultivate creative talents with some of the 19^th centuries most
significant literary figures.

In short, the account of Mary Lamb’s life is fascinating, and although
Hitchcock does pay attention to Lamb’s ‘lunacy’, postulating that her
psychological dysfunction was a ‘mixed bipolar episode[s]’, resulting in both
‘manic and depressive symptoms’, she argues that such a diagnosis does not do
justice to the curiosity we should feel about this literary figure.  Mad Mary Lamb is a subtle, powerful and
convincing argument in favour of recognising the individual contribution that
the troubled mind of Mary Lamb had on literature.   To quote Hitchcock ‘[I]t is time for her to step out into the
light’.

© 2006 Nigel Leary

Nigel Leary is currently a student at the University
of Kent, writing an M.A. dissertation on free will.  As a philosopher his interests are in philosophy of mind,
neuroscience, moral psychology, epistemology and metaphysics.  He hopes to go on to write a PhD thesis, on
consciousness, at the University of York in October.

Categories: General