The Captive of the Castle of Sennaar: An African Tale, in Two PartsMcGill-Queen's Press - MQUP, 1991 - 361 pages The first part, set on an island in central Africa among descendants of classical Greek civilization, was printed in 1789 but immediately suppressed by Cumberland. A passage describing society everywhere except on the utopian island as oligarchic and unjust was deemed by his lawyer to be potentially seditious; the novel was only published a decade later, and then in revised form. The second part, set in central Africa's Mountains of the Moon among descendants of followers of a fourth-century Christian heretic, is published here for the first time. Cumberland was a widely cultivated and deeply humane dilettante. A poet, painter, distinguished collector of prints and shells, and scientific inventor, he was passionately concerned with the reform of politics and society. He was also friends with some of the best authors and painters of his time, including William Blake, who encouraged Cumberland's ideals. Bentley describes the similarities between Blake's radical analysis of society and his early ideas on free love, sexuality, slavery, natural religion, and energy and the ideals Cumberland espouses in The Captive of the Castle of Sennaar. Bentley provides historical and geographical appendixes, textual and commentary notes, and a comparison of Cumberland's work to Simon Berington's The Memoirs of Signor Gaudentino di Lucca. Bentley's edition of The Captive of the Castle of Sennaar will be of interest to Blake scholars and to students and scholars of utopian literature and late eighteenth-century and Romantic literature and culture. |
Contents
Illustrations | viii |
THE CAPTIVE OF THE CASTLE OF SENNAAR | xlviii |
The Sophians | 3 |
Notes to the Text | 297 |
Substantive Emendations to the Text of The Captive | 323 |
Other editions - View all
Captive of the Castle of Sennaar: An African Tale George A. Cumberland,Bentley Jr Limited preview - 1991 |
The Captive of the Castle of Sennaar: The Sophians (printed in 1798 and 1810 ... George Cumberland No preview available - 1991 |
Common terms and phrases
Abyssinia affection Africa agreeable arms Aronzo arrived arts beautiful Berington's Blake Blake's called Castle of Sennaar chamber Chilo Christian church colour companion conduct Council of Constance Cumberland's Captive Darfur duties early elders embraced eyes feel females flowers fruits Gaudentio George Cumberland habits hand happiness heart honour human island Jerome of Prague John Rylands Library journey Jovinians Jovinus labour lake laws live looked Lucca Lycas mankind manners Marriage Memmo Mica mind Moon Mountains Musumba nature necessary Negro never Nile noble novel Nubia ornaments ourselves passed passions preserved principles Printer's Copy reads received reform refreshing religion replied repose retired river seated seemed shew society soon Sophians Sophis soul Stefanus surprize surrounded thing thought took travels trees Venice whilst White Nile whole wild William Blake Yahomy Zambre Zebee