Edward Bulwer-Lytton was a novelist, journalist, politician, playwright and poet who loomed large on the literary scene for several decades. He was from a noble family; his mother’s side (the Lyttons) were distinguished scholars. Throughout his life, Bulwer pondered the problem of how to combine the aristocratic life with intellectual activities and social duties. Bulwer’s father died in 1804, after one of the bad marriages which afflicted the family, leaving Bulwer to the care of his overly possessive mother. He was thought too delicate for Eton, and his education at home immersed him in books but not company. After a “perfect” love affair at sixteen, and a later, scandalous affair with Lady Caroline Lamb, Bulwer mar

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First published 28 October 2001

Citation: John, Juliet. "Edward Bulwer-Lytton". The Literary Encyclopedia. 28 October 2001.
[http://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=636, accessed 9 February 2010.]