The Contemporary Review (1866–2013)

Lang’s two most famous articles from The Contemporary Review are “Literary Plagiarism” (June 1887) and “Realism and Romance” (Nov. 1887), both of which are available in the scans of Contemporary Review volumes from Internet Archive below and both of which should be placed in the context of debates over plagiarism in Rider Haggard’s novels (She, Jess, and Allen Quatermain), as well as transatlantic debates over realism and romance that were occurring at this time. (See Demoor, Andrew Lang (1844–1912), Late Victorian Humanist and Journalistic Critic, pp. 242–48.) For more context on Lang’s views on plagiarism, read articles in and letters to the Pall Mall Gazette from March and April 1887, Lang’s “At the Sign of the Ship” articles in Longman’s of the same period, and James Runciman’s “King Plagiarism and his Court” in the March 1890 Fortnightly Review.

A full list of Lang’s other Contemporary Review articles until 1900 (when the Wellesley Index stops indexing) is below, along with one article from 1909 found by Roger Lancelyn Green, and several articles about Lang that were indexed by B. Meredith Langstaff.

  1. “The Poetry of William Morris.” Contemporary Review 42 (Aug. 1882): 200–17.
  2. “The Early History of the Family.” Contemporary Review 44 (Sep. 1883): 406–22.
  3. “Literary Forgeries.”Contemporary Review 44 (Dec. 1883): 837–49.
  4. “Literary Plagiarism.” Contemporary Review 51 (June 1887): 831–40. (Jan.–Jun. 1887 is available from Internet Archive.)
  5. “Realism and Romance.” Contemporary Review 52 (Nov. 1887): 683–93. (July–Dec. is available from Internet Archive.)
  6. “Theological Romances.” Contemporary Review 53 (June 1888.): 814–24. [Mainly on Robert Elsemere]
  7. “A Dip in Criticism.” Contemporary Review 54: (Oct. 1888): 495–503.
  8. “Mr. Wilkie Collin’s Novels.” Contemporary Review 57 (Jan. 1890:  20–28.
  9. “Was Jehovah a Fetish Stone?” [A response to Grant Allen’s claim in the Jan. 1890 Fortnightly Review.] Contemporary Review 57 (Mar. 1890, pp. 353–65.
  10. “Mr. Robert Browning.” Contemporary Review 60 (July 1891): 70-81. [A review of Mrs. Sutherland Orr’s The Life and Letters of Robert Browning, Smith and Elder, 1891.] (Volume 60, July–December 1891, is available from Internet archive.)
  11. “The Mimes of Herondas.” Contemporary Review 60 (Dec. 1891): 817–26. (Volume 60, July–December 1891, is available from Internet archive.)
  12. “Comparative Psychical Research.” Contemporary Review 64 (Sep. 1893): 372–87.
  13. “Superstition and Fact.” Contemporary Review 64 (Dec. 1893): 882–92.
  14. “The Young Men.” Contemporary Review 65 (Feb. 1894): 177–88.
  15. “Marlborough” [rev. of Life by Viscount Wolesley]. The Contemporary Review 65 (June 1894): 828–35.
  16. “The Witch of Endor and Professor Huxley.” The Contemporary Review 66 (Aug. 1894): 165–76.
  17. “Letters of Coleridge.” Contemporary Review  67 (June 1895): 876-87.
  18. “The Wesley ghost.” Contemporary Review 68 (Aug. 1895): 288–98.
  19. “Passing through the fire” [ritual]. The Contemporary Review  70 (Aug. 1896): 232–46.
  20. “The Evolution of the Idea of God” [Review of Grant Allen]. The Contemporary Review 72 (Dec. 1897): 768–81.
  21. “‘Cup and ring’: an old [archaeological] problem solved?” The Contemporary Review 75 (Mar. 1899): 400–09.
  22. “Max Müller” [obituary].  Contemporary Review 78 (Dec. 1900): 784-793.
  23. “Pre-animistic Religion.” Contemporary Review May 1909. [RLG 253]

B. Meredith Langstaff, who lists articles by Lang alongside articles about his work in his bibliography, also includes the following articles of interest:

  1. “Andrew Lang” by Brander Matthews of Living Age. . . vol. 65: ?”
  2. “A New Stage in the Homeric Question.” [Apparently a review by Gilbert Murray of Lang’s Homer and his Age. May 1908. 93: literary supplement 7: 1–6.] [B. Meredith Langstaff]
  3. Winifred Stephen’s article “Joan of Arc, M. Anatole France, and Andrew Lang.” 95:330–.
  4. Review of Lang’s Shakespeare, Bacon, and the Great Unknown. Feb. 1913, pp. 285–58.

 

Sources:

Green, Roger Lancelyn. Andrew Lang: A Critical Biography. Leicester: Edmund Ward, 1946. 252–53.

Langstaff, B. Meredith. “Andrew Lang Articles: [A Bibliography Compiled by B. Meredith Langstaff.” [New York: B. Meredith Langstaff, 1956.] Available in the University of St Andrews Special Collections.

The Wellesley Index.

Return to the list of periodicals to which Lang contributed.