Philip James Bailey
Festus
Edited by MISCHA WILLETT
Festus: an Epic Poem by Philip James Bailey, edited by Mischa Willett, is a visionary 19th-century work exploring faith, humanity, and the cosmos, revitalized for modern readers.
Edited by Mischa Willett
Edinburgh University Press, 2021
Edinburgh Critical Editions of Nineteenth-Century Texts
ISBN 9781474457811
Testimonials
Charles LaPorte
“Scholars of nineteenth-century culture will want to thank Mischa Willett for this beautifully curated critical edition of Philip James Bailey's Festus. Seldom read today, Festus was devoured by Victorian readers from all walks of life and was reverenced in literary circles. Willett's thoughtful introduction unfolds for us the magnificent strangeness, as well as the abiding interest of this remarkable work.”
James Montgomery
“There is great exuberance of thought and imagery throughout this work, and a profuse expenditure of both, fearless of exhaustion of the author’s stores. One feels as if one had ‘eaten of the insane root that takes the reason prisoner’ in many passages; or ‘of the tree of knowledge of good and evil,’ with strange elevations of spirit, and stranger misgivings, alternately glowing and shivering through the bosom.”
About the Author
Philip James Bailey (1816–1902), an English Spasmodic poet, captivated Victorian readers with his visionary epic Festus, first published in 1839. Born in Nottingham and educated at Glasgow University, Bailey drew inspiration from Byron, Milton, and Shelley, crafting a poem that wrestles with faith, humanity, and the cosmos. A literary sensation, Festus influenced poets like Tennyson and Longfellow, earning praise for its "fire of imagination" (Elizabeth Barrett Browning). Bailey's bold exploration of theology and philosophy, once controversial, remains a landmark in Romantic and Victorian literature.
Sample Poem from Festus
In Festus: An Epic Poem, Philip James Bailey explores the apocalypse through soaring verse. This excerpt, from the poem’s opening, captures Festus’s dialogue with the Godhead, blending apologetics and cosmic wonder. Edited by Mischa Willett, this passage invites readers into Bailey’s visionary world. Order your copy on Bookshop or Edinburgh University Press.
Excerpt (from Scene I, “The World”):
O Thou, who sittest throned above all worlds,
Whose hand hath hung the universe in space,
And whose eternal presence fills the soul
With light unquenchable—teach me Thy ways!
My heart, a wanderer, seeks Thy boundless truth,
And longs to know the secrets of the stars.
Note: From Festus: An Epic Poem by Philip James Bailey, edited by Mischa Willett (Edinburgh University Press, 2022). Discover the full epic’s journey through faith and the cosmos.
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About the editor.
Dr. Mischa Willett is a celebrated poet and essayist, with scholarly articles and translations appearing in a wide range of venues. He is a practicing Anglican and is Director of the Whitworth Writers’ Workshop, a low residence MFA in Creative Writing based in Spokane, WA.
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