The “Spasmodic” Hoaxes of W. E. Aytoun and A. C. Swinburne

Abstract

The article looks at the relationship between W. E. Aytoun’s hoax review “Firmilian” and A. C. Swinburne’s later imitations. Both hoaxes reveal the cultural positions of the two genres involved— poetry and criticism—through formal divisions within the hybrid of the fake “review.” I argue that Swinburne’s changes on Aytoun’s earlier hoax show how he recognized the power of an avant-garde before writing most of his most controversial poetry.