Eibhear Walshe and Eleanor Fitzsimons, "Speranza: Poems by Jane Wilde" (Liverpool UP, 2025)

Podcast Summary

Podcast: New Books Network
Episode: Eibhear Walshe and Eleanor Fitzsimons, "Speranza: Poems by Jane Wilde" (Liverpool UP, 2025)
Date: October 1, 2025
Host: Dr. Miranda Melcher
Guest: Eleanor Fitzsimons (editor, with Eibhear Walshe)

Overview

This episode explores the newly published book Speranza: Poems by Jane Wilde, a comprehensive collection and scholarly analysis of Jane Wilde's poetry. Eleanor Fitzsimons, one of the editors, delves into Wilde's life, her literary contributions, her role in Irish history and politics, and the editorial decisions behind the book. The discussion addresses Wilde’s identity as a renowned poet and mother of Oscar Wilde, her activism, multilayered poems, her feminist stance, and her far-reaching influence.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Introduction to Eleanor Fitzsimons and the Project

Fitzsimons specializes in recovering women’s voices and has considerable expertise in the “Wildian” world, having written a biography of Oscar Wilde’s female connections and an annotated selection from The Woman’s World, a magazine Oscar edited.
[02:35] "I specialize particularly in recovering women's voices… my expertise in the wild comes from [biography work about Wilde's mother and others]." – Eleanor Fitzsimons
The book was co-edited with Dr. Eibhear Walshe, an accomplished novelist and scholar in Wilde studies, who brought literary empathy and creativity to the project.
[03:54] "He brings a real richness to his writing and a lovely empathy and imagination as well as all of his own writing." – Eleanor Fitzsimons

Who Was Jane Wilde?

Jane Wilde, born Jane Elgee, was a celebrated poet long before becoming Oscar Wilde’s mother.
She came from a turbulent, impoverished family background with strong unionist ties but defied her heritage by espousing radical Irish nationalism.
Wilde’s poetic awakening came after witnessing the public funeral of Tom Stavers, inspiring her to become a poet thanks to the powerful role she perceived poetry played in Irish society.
[06:16] "If that's how poetry are regarded, I want to be a poet as well." – Eleanor Fitzsimons, paraphrasing Jane Wilde
Wilde submitted her early work under a male pseudonym, John Fanshawe Ellis, to The Nation newspaper, surprising the editor when her true identity was revealed.
[09:41] "He was absolutely shocked… to be greeted by this very tall, very beautiful young woman called Jane Elgey." – Eleanor Fitzsimons

Her Role in the Young Ireland Movement

Jane Wilde became the poetic voice of Irish revolutionary nationalism, especially during the Great Famine, calling on the youth to rise up and resist. [11:19] "She came along at a very important time… just had this galvanizing effect on the readership of the Nation newspaper." – Eleanor Fitzsimons
Her empathy for Ireland's plight and talent for expressing suffering and resistance made her poems a rallying cry.
She continued to support revolutionary figures and remained connected with them, even as direct activism waned following failed uprisings.

Productivity and Range

Wilde wrote prolifically over decades, with poems and essays published in various Irish, English, and American journals and collections – not just revolutionary but also literary criticism, proto-feminism, and more.
Her poetry was collected and reissued, and she published translations from multiple European languages.

Editing and Selection Process

Fitzsimons and Walshe based the selection primarily on Wilde's own collected works, reordering them chronologically and including later uncollected poems, showing thematic evolution.
About half of Wilde's poetry consisted of translations, reflecting her linguistic talent and ambition to connect Irish poetry with broader European movements.
[17:28] "What she really tried to do was capture the spirit and the sense of a poem... and very often adapting it to suit an Irish [context]." – Eleanor Fitzsimons
Wilde’s translations covered German, French, Latin, Spanish, Portuguese, and Scandinavian languages, demonstrating wide-ranging literary connections. [19:54] "Her strong skills would have been in German and French... but she also translates Spanish poetry, Portuguese poetry, some of the Scandinavian languages." – Eleanor Fitzsimons

Public and Private Poet

Several of Wilde’s poems became public ballads, sung in the streets, and acted as rallying cries.
She balanced these with deeply private, personal poems, especially after her husband’s illness and death, expressing despair and existential contemplation. [21:18] "She seems to have lost her faith. In many ways, she speaks directly to death... They're quite dark, they're quite disturbing in many ways, but they're extremely private." – Eleanor Fitzsimons

Reception by Contemporaries

Wilde’s contemporaries celebrated the galvanizing effect and public nature of her poetry; later in life, her work shifted to more mature, reflective, and celebratory poetry about notable figures.
Poems like Ave Caesar (about Longfellow) and odes to Daniel O’Connell received wide publication and acclaim.
[23:19] "She writes some lovely odes celebrating the great importance of the work of Daniel O’Connell, the great Irish liberator." – Eleanor Fitzsimons

Poems with a Continuing Life

The most anthologized poems are those from her revolutionary period: Man's Mission, The Year of Revolutions, The Voice of the Poor, etc. [24:55] "You’re getting a sense that these are all her political poems. So Man’s Mission... was written in 1847, at the height of the Famine." – Eleanor Fitzsimons
Some later poems like The Exodus (responding to the 1861 Irish census and the lasting effects of the Famine) continued to be reprinted due to their powerful imagery and resonant themes about loss and migration. [26:06] "She talks about a million a decade, a million corpses lying in fever sheds... She speaks of the shroudless dead lying at the side of the road and a nation dying of inner decay." – Eleanor Fitzsimons

Wilde’s Changing Politics and Later Years

After being widowed and forced by financial hardship to move to London, Wilde reinvented herself, grew more moderate politically, and became part of English literary society—even earning a government pension.
She voiced critiques of Irish republicanism in her later years, feeling gratitude toward the English city that enabled her rebirth. [30:07] "She finds this quite funny that this great revolutionary poet is getting this pension from the government that she sought to overthrow." – Eleanor Fitzsimons

Feminism and “Historic Women”

Wilde was a self-taught, ardent feminist, advocating for women’s education and professional opportunities.
Historic Women, a long blank verse poem, celebrates influential women through history, including Sappho, and showcases Wilde’s classical and historical knowledge. [31:33] "She was also a very staunch feminist and a very strong defender of rights for women." – Eleanor Fitzsimons
A notable anecdote underscoring Jane Wilde’s status is Oscar Wilde’s introduction as “the son of Speranza” during his American lecture tour, demonstrating her prominence at the time. [33:51] "He is introduced in both places as the son, son of Speranza, as the son of this great Irish woman and this great celebrated daughter of Ireland." – Eleanor Fitzsimons

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On Jane Wilde’s transformation:
"[She is] a most unlikely insurrectionist." [06:16]
On her adopting a male pseudonym:
"[The editor] was absolutely shocked and startled and amazed to be greeted by this very tall, very beautiful young woman called Jane Elgey." – Eleanor Fitzsimons [09:41]
On the impact of her poetry during the Famine:
"She just had this galvanizing effect on the readership of the Nation newspaper, the organ of the Young Ireland movement, and became really an important source of information... and boosting people's spirits." – Eleanor Fitzsimons [11:19]
On translating poetry:
"She took a fairly loose approach to translation. What she really tried to do was to capture the spirit and the sense of a poem...and very often adapting it to suit an Irish [situation]." – Eleanor Fitzsimons [17:28]
On Wilde’s integration in European Romanticism:
"She's linking Ireland into this much wider European romantic poetic movement... It's really interesting that she was influenced so heavily by these poets and took their ideas and adapted them to an Irish situation." – Eleanor Fitzsimons [18:10]
On later life’s contradictions:
"She finds this quite funny that this great revolutionary poet is getting this pension from the government that she sought to overthrow." – Eleanor Fitzsimons [30:07]
On her overlooked status in modern times compared to her celebrity in her own era:
"[Oscar Wilde] is introduced in both places as the son of Speranza, as the son of this great Irish woman and this great celebrated daughter of Ireland." – Eleanor Fitzsimons [33:51]

Timestamps for Important Segments

01:20: Episode begins, introduction to guest, project, and themes
02:35: Eleanor Fitzsimons introduces her background and approach
03:54: Description of co-editor Eibhear Walshe’s contribution
06:16: Jane Wilde’s early life and unique nationalist emergence
09:41: Wilde’s first submissions and gender disguise
11:19: Her poetic and political influence during the Famine
13:19: The scope and productivity of her writing career
15:55: Editorial strategies and selection process for the book
17:28: Wilde’s role as a translator and her European influences
19:54: The linguistic breadth of Wilde's translations
20:35: Public and private elements of Wilde's poetry
22:21: Wilde’s contemporary reception and later poetic themes
24:41: Most anthologized and enduring poems
26:06: The thematic power of The Exodus
29:11: The evolution of Wilde’s political thinking
31:31: Feminist themes and “Historic Women”
33:51: Oscar Wilde introduced as son of Speranza
35:34: Wilde’s legacy on both sides of the Atlantic
35:59: Fitzsimons discusses current and upcoming projects

Closing Thoughts

This conversation positioned Jane Wilde—often overshadowed by her son—as a major poetic and political figure in her own right, connecting her personal journey with wider historical, literary, and feminist movements. The book restores Wilde’s place in the literary canon and provides not just her poetry but the vital context necessary to appreciate it fully. Fitzsimons’s and Walshe’s work illuminates how Speranza’s voice resonated nationally and internationally, shaping Irish political thought and women’s literary history.

Podcast Summary

Overview

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Introduction to Eleanor Fitzsimons and the Project

Fitzsimons specializes in recovering women’s voices and has considerable expertise in the “Wildian” world, having written a biography of Oscar Wilde’s female connections and an annotated selection from The Woman’s World, a magazine Oscar edited.
[02:35] "I specialize particularly in recovering women's voices… my expertise in the wild comes from [biography work about Wilde's mother and others]." – Eleanor Fitzsimons
The book was co-edited with Dr. Eibhear Walshe, an accomplished novelist and scholar in Wilde studies, who brought literary empathy and creativity to the project.
[03:54] "He brings a real richness to his writing and a lovely empathy and imagination as well as all of his own writing." – Eleanor Fitzsimons

Who Was Jane Wilde?

Jane Wilde, born Jane Elgee, was a celebrated poet long before becoming Oscar Wilde’s mother.
She came from a turbulent, impoverished family background with strong unionist ties but defied her heritage by espousing radical Irish nationalism.
Wilde’s poetic awakening came after witnessing the public funeral of Tom Stavers, inspiring her to become a poet thanks to the powerful role she perceived poetry played in Irish society.
[06:16] "If that's how poetry are regarded, I want to be a poet as well." – Eleanor Fitzsimons, paraphrasing Jane Wilde
Wilde submitted her early work under a male pseudonym, John Fanshawe Ellis, to The Nation newspaper, surprising the editor when her true identity was revealed.
[09:41] "He was absolutely shocked… to be greeted by this very tall, very beautiful young woman called Jane Elgey." – Eleanor Fitzsimons

Her Role in the Young Ireland Movement

Jane Wilde became the poetic voice of Irish revolutionary nationalism, especially during the Great Famine, calling on the youth to rise up and resist. [11:19] "She came along at a very important time… just had this galvanizing effect on the readership of the Nation newspaper." – Eleanor Fitzsimons
Her empathy for Ireland's plight and talent for expressing suffering and resistance made her poems a rallying cry.
She continued to support revolutionary figures and remained connected with them, even as direct activism waned following failed uprisings.

Productivity and Range

Wilde wrote prolifically over decades, with poems and essays published in various Irish, English, and American journals and collections – not just revolutionary but also literary criticism, proto-feminism, and more.
Her poetry was collected and reissued, and she published translations from multiple European languages.

Editing and Selection Process

Fitzsimons and Walshe based the selection primarily on Wilde's own collected works, reordering them chronologically and including later uncollected poems, showing thematic evolution.
About half of Wilde's poetry consisted of translations, reflecting her linguistic talent and ambition to connect Irish poetry with broader European movements.
[17:28] "What she really tried to do was capture the spirit and the sense of a poem... and very often adapting it to suit an Irish [context]." – Eleanor Fitzsimons
Wilde’s translations covered German, French, Latin, Spanish, Portuguese, and Scandinavian languages, demonstrating wide-ranging literary connections. [19:54] "Her strong skills would have been in German and French... but she also translates Spanish poetry, Portuguese poetry, some of the Scandinavian languages." – Eleanor Fitzsimons

Public and Private Poet

Several of Wilde’s poems became public ballads, sung in the streets, and acted as rallying cries.
She balanced these with deeply private, personal poems, especially after her husband’s illness and death, expressing despair and existential contemplation. [21:18] "She seems to have lost her faith. In many ways, she speaks directly to death... They're quite dark, they're quite disturbing in many ways, but they're extremely private." – Eleanor Fitzsimons

Reception by Contemporaries

Wilde’s contemporaries celebrated the galvanizing effect and public nature of her poetry; later in life, her work shifted to more mature, reflective, and celebratory poetry about notable figures.
Poems like Ave Caesar (about Longfellow) and odes to Daniel O’Connell received wide publication and acclaim.
[23:19] "She writes some lovely odes celebrating the great importance of the work of Daniel O’Connell, the great Irish liberator." – Eleanor Fitzsimons

Poems with a Continuing Life

The most anthologized poems are those from her revolutionary period: Man's Mission, The Year of Revolutions, The Voice of the Poor, etc. [24:55] "You’re getting a sense that these are all her political poems. So Man’s Mission... was written in 1847, at the height of the Famine." – Eleanor Fitzsimons
Some later poems like The Exodus (responding to the 1861 Irish census and the lasting effects of the Famine) continued to be reprinted due to their powerful imagery and resonant themes about loss and migration. [26:06] "She talks about a million a decade, a million corpses lying in fever sheds... She speaks of the shroudless dead lying at the side of the road and a nation dying of inner decay." – Eleanor Fitzsimons

Wilde’s Changing Politics and Later Years

After being widowed and forced by financial hardship to move to London, Wilde reinvented herself, grew more moderate politically, and became part of English literary society—even earning a government pension.
She voiced critiques of Irish republicanism in her later years, feeling gratitude toward the English city that enabled her rebirth. [30:07] "She finds this quite funny that this great revolutionary poet is getting this pension from the government that she sought to overthrow." – Eleanor Fitzsimons

Feminism and “Historic Women”

Wilde was a self-taught, ardent feminist, advocating for women’s education and professional opportunities.
Historic Women, a long blank verse poem, celebrates influential women through history, including Sappho, and showcases Wilde’s classical and historical knowledge. [31:33] "She was also a very staunch feminist and a very strong defender of rights for women." – Eleanor Fitzsimons
A notable anecdote underscoring Jane Wilde’s status is Oscar Wilde’s introduction as “the son of Speranza” during his American lecture tour, demonstrating her prominence at the time. [33:51] "He is introduced in both places as the son, son of Speranza, as the son of this great Irish woman and this great celebrated daughter of Ireland." – Eleanor Fitzsimons

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On Jane Wilde’s transformation:
"[She is] a most unlikely insurrectionist." [06:16]
On her adopting a male pseudonym:
"[The editor] was absolutely shocked and startled and amazed to be greeted by this very tall, very beautiful young woman called Jane Elgey." – Eleanor Fitzsimons [09:41]
On the impact of her poetry during the Famine:
"She just had this galvanizing effect on the readership of the Nation newspaper, the organ of the Young Ireland movement, and became really an important source of information... and boosting people's spirits." – Eleanor Fitzsimons [11:19]
On translating poetry:
"She took a fairly loose approach to translation. What she really tried to do was to capture the spirit and the sense of a poem...and very often adapting it to suit an Irish [situation]." – Eleanor Fitzsimons [17:28]
On Wilde’s integration in European Romanticism:
"She's linking Ireland into this much wider European romantic poetic movement... It's really interesting that she was influenced so heavily by these poets and took their ideas and adapted them to an Irish situation." – Eleanor Fitzsimons [18:10]
On later life’s contradictions:
"She finds this quite funny that this great revolutionary poet is getting this pension from the government that she sought to overthrow." – Eleanor Fitzsimons [30:07]
On her overlooked status in modern times compared to her celebrity in her own era:
"[Oscar Wilde] is introduced in both places as the son of Speranza, as the son of this great Irish woman and this great celebrated daughter of Ireland." – Eleanor Fitzsimons [33:51]

Timestamps for Important Segments

01:20: Episode begins, introduction to guest, project, and themes
02:35: Eleanor Fitzsimons introduces her background and approach
03:54: Description of co-editor Eibhear Walshe’s contribution
06:16: Jane Wilde’s early life and unique nationalist emergence
09:41: Wilde’s first submissions and gender disguise
11:19: Her poetic and political influence during the Famine
13:19: The scope and productivity of her writing career
15:55: Editorial strategies and selection process for the book
17:28: Wilde’s role as a translator and her European influences
19:54: The linguistic breadth of Wilde's translations
20:35: Public and private elements of Wilde's poetry
22:21: Wilde’s contemporary reception and later poetic themes
24:41: Most anthologized and enduring poems
26:06: The thematic power of The Exodus
29:11: The evolution of Wilde’s political thinking
31:31: Feminist themes and “Historic Women”
33:51: Oscar Wilde introduced as son of Speranza
35:34: Wilde’s legacy on both sides of the Atlantic
35:59: Fitzsimons discusses current and upcoming projects

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Summary

Podcast Summary

Overview

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Introduction to Eleanor Fitzsimons and the Project

Who Was Jane Wilde?

Her Role in the Young Ireland Movement

Productivity and Range

Editing and Selection Process

Public and Private Poet

Reception by Contemporaries

Poems with a Continuing Life

Wilde’s Changing Politics and Later Years

Feminism and “Historic Women”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

Timestamps for Important Segments

Closing Thoughts

Summary

Podcast Summary

Overview

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Introduction to Eleanor Fitzsimons and the Project

Who Was Jane Wilde?

Her Role in the Young Ireland Movement

Productivity and Range

Editing and Selection Process

Public and Private Poet

Reception by Contemporaries

Poems with a Continuing Life

Wilde’s Changing Politics and Later Years

Feminism and “Historic Women”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

Timestamps for Important Segments

Closing Thoughts