In Hospital: Victorian Poems Inspired by the Edinburgh Old Infirmary

by William Ernest Henley

First written between 1873 and 1875, the poet observes all aspects of life in hospital during the Victorian era. Makes interesting reading for nurses and those interested in medical history...as well as poetry lovers of course! Excerpt from 'The Staff Nurse': 'Much is she worth, and even more is made of her. Patients and students hold her very dear. The doctors love her, tease her, use her skill. They say 'The Chief' himself is half-afraid of her.'

Genres: Poetry, Bolivia, Victorian

68 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1888

About the author

William Ernest Henley was an English poet, critic and editor. Though he wrote several books of poetry, Henley is remembered most often for his 1875 poem "Invictus". A fixture in London literary circles, the one-legged Henley was also the inspiration for Robert Louis Stevenson's character Long John Silver (Treasure Island, 1883), while his young daughter Margaret Henley inspired J.M. Barrie's choice of the name Wendy for the heroine of his play Peter Pan (1904).

Reviews

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

This poetry is actually next level. If you’ve ever worked in a hospital, or had to spend any considerable amount of time in one then you’ll be able to relate to this collection very heavily. 👌👌

[katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is amazing i will be reading more of his stuff immediately <33

[Jacky Chan · Rating 4 out of 5]

On a Victorian poetry reading spree, and this was another great find. Francis O'Gorman characterises it as written in the new, 'demotic' realist style of the latter 19th century, and I don't disagree: there are certainly frank depictions of all forms of suffering. But what I think underlies this lovely poem is a wry sense of humour, and more importantly a touch of humanism. Henley's poetic eye is humanist, as he captures in detail one human being per poem, showcasing and poeticising their quotidian lives in all their joys and sorrows. Thus while Henley may describe finally being discharged as the moment in which he finds hope and joy again, I don't think that's it: I've seen it happen as the poem sequence developed. Given how wry his humour is, maybe Henley thinks so too.

[Ben Causey]

I was only interested because of the "An Agony of Effort" video series by Charred Thermos but it's good stuff. Can't say I'll read more Henley but it's very cool to see the origin of things like the drip-dropping that the patients in the Research Hall mention.

Qualified recommendation: It's fine but Bloodborne fans will extract far more than an average reader.

[emilie · Rating 1 out of 5]

might be a bit of a harsh rating but there wasn’t really anything memorable here and i hate poetry, premise would’ve been more interesting if it was written as an actual book but it wasn’t so it’s a miss for me

[alex :) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed the first half of the poems more, came away with a lot to think about experiences in Hospital. I think Vigil was my favourite

[Phoebe · Rating 4 out of 5]

reading this is exactly what the uneasiness of being in a hospital feels like.

[daft sod · Rating 3 out of 5]

henley is so real for this bc if i was in hospital i also would write vaguely insulting poetry about the other patients

[Lulu]

In hospital + Invictus 1875

were composed during his isolation as a consequence of early, life-threatening battles with tuberculosis; this set of works, one of several types and themes he engaged during his career, are said to have developed the artistic motif of the "poet as a patient" and to have anticipated modern poetry "not only in form, as experiments in free verse containing abrasive narrative shifts and internal monologue, but also in subject matter."


The poems of In Hospital are noteworthy as some of the earliest free verse written in the U.K. . Arguably Henley's best-remembered work is the poem "Invictus", written in 1875. It is said that this was written as a demonstration of his resilience following the amputation of his foot due to tubercular infection. Henley stated that the maine theme of his poem was “The idea that one's decisions and iron will to overcome life's obstacles, defines one's fate”.

"Henley's reputation rests on the popularity of one occasional lyric, 'Invictus', which has been judged unfairly as the most widely known bad poem in English. But his remarkable sequence, In Hospital, has been recognised as one of the starting points of the English poetry of the modern crisis.