Mrs Hemans - or Hewomans, as Byron called her, for no one was less of a he-man than Felicia - was lavishly praised in her lifetime, and second only to Byron in popularity and sales. But while Byron was disowned by the Victorians, embarrassed that this 'huge sulky dandy', as Thomas Carlyle called him, should have received so much adoration and respect, Felicia Hemans's reputation grew, and her work went out of print only after the First World War. Her importance in dictating the taste for patriotism, obedience and sacrifice in generations of readers cannot be underestimated. She was, after all, the author of the heroic tale of filial duty, 'Casabianca' ('The boy stood on the burning deck').

LRB 16 November 2000 | PDF Download