The poem as illustrated by an amateur,
Dramatizations, motion pictures,
a translation of George Sand's Lavinia, a knock-off titled Geraldine,
and other odd treats
are linked from this"Oddities" page
Meredith’s “dedication” and later preface responding to charges of plagiarism.
Comparison of passages Meredith changed dramatically for the 1868 second English edition -- most if not all post-1868 American reprint editions, excepting those stereotyped by Ticknor & Fields before 1868, follow the text of the 1868 edition.
A survey of Meredith's work was written by his daughter, Betty Balfour, as an introduction for the 1893 Longmans, Green & Co. two-volume edition of a selection of his poetry.
Reviews of Lucile on publication in 1860 and later (in the New York Times, as well as other newspapers and magazines).
Mentions of Lucile (or particular passages of the poem) in critical and scholarly articles and books or in other literary works.
A "Classics Illustrated" version of the poem created by "J. H. W." now lodged in the Houghton Library collection, Harvard University.
An American translation of George Sand's 1834 novelette Lavinia (on which Canto I of Lucile is closely based) titled Lady Blake's Love Letters (1884);
In the early 1900s, there were also at least four dramatizatons:
Marie Emblin Carr. Lucile, a Play, adapted from Owen Meredith. 1901. 88p typescript. Available as microfilm of Copyright deposits 1901-1944; reel no. 6. The play ends with Lucile's death from a stray bullet on the edge of a skirmish during the Crimean war.
Frances C. Fulton Lucile or, the Atonement: a play in five acts. 1901. 43p typescript. Library of Congress Copyright Office microfilm of Copyright deposits, 1901-1944; reel no. 17.
James T. Roberts. Lucile, a Drama, being a dramatization of the Lucile of the Earl of Lytton. 1903. Printed text retained in the Library of Congress collection. Marked as received by the Copyright Office January 5, 1903.
Marcus Danto. Lucile, a Drama in Four Acts, adapted from Owen Meredith. 1904. 91p typescript. Library of Congress Copyright Office, received April 6, 1904. Available as microfilm of Copyright deposits, 1901-1944; reel no. 109. Like Carr's rendition, the play ends with Lucile's death from a stray bullet on the edge of a skirmish during the Crimean war. Luvois is presented throughout in a particularly villainous way.
Willard Holcomb. Lucille, a Lyric Drama in Four Acts and Scenes, adapted from the famous poem of ‘Owen Meredith” (Lord Lytton). 1906. 61p. First act only. Printed copy complete in wrappers. Copies in the collections of the Erie County & Buffalo Public Library and Brown University Library.
In 1912, Lucile was released in a three-part photoplay (3 reels) by the Thanhouser Company: Directed by Lucius J. Henderson from a scenario by Lloyd F. Longergan, the cast included Lucile played by Marguerite Snow, Vargrave by James Cruze, Matilda by Florence LaBadie, and William Russell as the Duc de Luvois. Regretably, it appears that no copy of the film has survived. Some sense of it is given by a synopsis in The Moving Picture World and selected reviews.
A paper on the project read at the 39th Rare Books and Manuscripts Preconference, Getting Ready for the Nineteenth Century: Strategies and Solutions for Rare Book and Special Collections Librarians (Washington, June 23-26,1998): "The Case of Lucile."
A further oddity of coniderable size related to Lucile is Alphonso Hopkins's Geraldine (1881+). Published anonymously, claimed by the author in his preface to have been writen without his having read Lucile, it is clearly a knock-off. Hopkin's revealed himself as the author after 20 years -- and a good many editions -- and the book continued in print for another decade.
Last revised: 21 February 2021