From H. E. Darwin to Emma Darwin [March 1871]1
At home— I must put off Tenby2 till the Autumn— If I go to Tenby I shall never be at home at all. I’ll remember abt the shame & send to C. Place—3 Does Father mean shame in such a sense as Godiva wd. have felt it4—or only shame at some crime of your own—not at a shameful situation brought abt thro’ no fault of your own— Of course you’ve lookt at Paradise lost Book IX for I felt as if Eve had covered her face—5 The idea of hiding from the sense of guilt is brought forward but it doesn’t say “face”— I’ve never come yet upon eye brightening with joy—6
I’ve thought upon several things that may contain covering of face— Surely in the Bible they cover their faces— Doesn’t David cover his face?7 When they act Hamlet the Queen covers her face when she sees her black ingrained tinct thro’ Hamlet’s scolding, but I don’t remember any words.8 Guinevere hides her face by falling prone before him—9 I spose there is no hurry cos I’ve no books here to look out what I can think of— Lena knows Byron pretty well & doesn’t know any thing—10
What a lot of people you are going to have. Isn’t Geo going to sacrifice himself on Lawrences altar.11
yours | HED
remember abt the pouting.12
Mrs. Darwin
Footnotes
Bibliography
Expression: The expression of the emotions in man and animals. By Charles Darwin. London: John Murray. 1872.
Freeman, Richard Broke. 1978. Charles Darwin: a companion. Folkestone, Kent: William Dawson & Sons. Hamden, Conn.: Archon Books, Shoe String Press.
Milton, John. 1667. Paradise lost. A poem written in ten books. London: Peter Parker, Robert Boulter, and Matthias Walker.
Tennyson, Alfred. 1859. Idylls of the king. London: E. Moxon.
Summary
Possible quotations about shame for CD.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-7605G
- From
- Henrietta Emma Darwin/Henrietta Emma Litchfield
- To
- Emma Wedgwood/Emma Darwin
- Source of text
- Cornford Family Papers (DAR 275: 22)
- Physical description
- ALS
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 7605G,” accessed on 15 August 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-7605G.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 24 (Supplement)