Charles Lamb

Introduction:
Charles Lamb wrote essays, poetry, fiction, and drama. He was an engaging and thoughtful
writer who captured the Romantic period completely. He was unsuccessful at love, but his
friendships were many and valued.
Education and career
1. Impoverished Beginning: In a story that almost sounds like it was written by
Dickens, Charles Lamb was born in 1775 in London, England to parents who were
servants. His mother and father's employer, Samuel Salt, Esquire, was responsible for
assuring Lamb's education. Salt sponsored both of the Lamb boys' educations and like his
brother, Charles attended Christ's Hospital School when he was seven. What's remarkable
about this is the fact that it was there that he met Samuel Coleridge, who would become a
lifelong friend and supporter. Charles stuttered, and this caused him to quit school at age
fourteen, while his friend Samuel went on to Cambridge.
2. Charles went to work, and after a couple of false starts he landed a job at the East India
House where he worked as an accountant. His work was dull and boring, but it provided
stability that was necessary in his life. He wasn't rich, but he was able to live comfortably
on his salary. If his work was the stabilizing force, there were two other events that
changed his life by orders of magnitude.
Life changing Events
Event 1. Love eluded Charles even though he tried. He fell in love with Ann Simmons{he used
to say her a blonde girl and fair hair girl} around 1792, but his grandmother discouraged the
relationship because there was insanity in his family.{Anna was everywhere in his poetry and
novel- she was a fancy girl/ sweet girl-A timid grace sits trembling in her eye. a heart wrenching
girl/soul mate girl/ wandering girl/heart-beating girl/ } This sent Ann into the arms of a London
pawnbroker, named Barton. Almost thirty years later in Charles' Elia Essays, the main character,
Elia, in the poem 'Dream Children', imagined a life with the woman he was unable to win over,
wondering what their children would've been like. It's a classic 'The One That Got Away' story,
really.
Charles' luck with love didn't improve much as the years went on. In 1795, he was so distressed
over another love interest lost that he had himself committed to an asylum for the mentally
insane for six weeks. In a letter, he told Coleridge that he 'was indeed mad, but he is better now.'
Event 2: The second major event that dramatically impacted his life was when his sister, Mary
Lamb--who was ten years older than Charles and had been taking care of him for years--stabbed
their mother to death, in a fit of madness. She was tried and found to be insane. The courts didn't
send her to an asylum, but rather put Charles in charge of her well-being. Charles and Mary's
bond grew deeper and more connected as the years went on and Mary lived with him for the rest
of his life. They were constant companions, except when she was having one of her mad spells,
then she would go to the asylum to recover.
Through Charles' letters we learned that although he and Mary had suffered tremendously, his
engaging personality drew people to them. There were a great number of friends who cared
deeply for them, and they held gatherings where the house was filled with lawyers, writers,
actors, and other charming and entertaining friends. Charles Lamb was someone who enjoyed
the party; he loved good food and good drink. He was often the life of the event because he was
so entertaining; he had the ability to make people laugh and feel comfortable, and he was a
wonderful storyteller.

Disappointing End
He worked for his entire life at East India House, retiring in 1825, though he wasn't happy in
retirement. He found that he was at a loss without work in his life. He also was struggling with
Mary's illness playing a larger role and taking her away from him more frequently and for longer
periods of time. In order to combat these feelings, he began drinking more. When Coleridge died
in July of 1834, Charles' health began to decline, seeming to show that he had lost the will to
live. Charles died in December of 1834, a few short months after the loss of his friend.