Radclyffe Hall, The Unlit Lamp

Steven Macnamara (Independent Scholar - Europe)

Ed. by Andrew Radford, University of Glasgow
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.08: English Writing and Culture of the early Twentieth Century , 1900-1945.
Vol. editors: Chris Baldick (Goldsmiths College, University of London), Peter Childs (Birmingham Newman University), Nicole Kennedy (University of Newcastle), Louise McDonald (Birmingham Newman University), Andrew Radford (University of Glasgow)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1924

Places

England (Country of Origin; Publication/ performance)

Genres and Modes

Novel

Resources

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Radclyffe Hall’s long-term partner, Una Troubridge, notes that the inspiration for

The Unlit Lamp

(1924) came from the couple witnessing a mother and daughter on holiday in Lynton in North Devon. Hall declared: “Isn’t it ghastly to see these unmarried daughters who are just unpaid servants and old people sucking the very life out of them like octopi!” And then suddenly: “I shall write it. I shall write Heinemann’s book for him and call it

Octopi”

(69). Troubridge’s memoir and depiction of Hall as a writer should be viewed with a degree of caution because they aimed to secure and promote the legacy of their lover as a great artist and literary genius. Therefore, while the exchange may be embellished or romanticised, Hall and Troubridge had noticed the plight of unmarried…

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3501 words

Citation: Macnamara, Steven. "The Unlit Lamp". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 31 January 2025 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=39195, accessed 21 February 2025.]

Radclyffe Hall, The Unlit Lamp

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