Page:Landon in Literary Gazette 1825.pdf/29

28 Literary Gazette, 20th August, 1825, Page 541

[It has been the good fortune of the Literary Gazette to introduce several young poets to the public, whose talents have speedily procured them fame of a high and permanent order. We this week (we are persuaded) begin a new career of the same kind; and in this belief beg to recommend the signature of "Iole" to the attention of our readers.— Ed. L. G.]

This unique introduction is a smokescreen to cover Letitia Landon’s writing incognito under another name. Why she chose to do so requires further research but obviously, William Jerdan, the editor was quite happy to go along with it. She continued to use the pseudonym Iole until early in 1827. Iole is a name that has already arisen in her poetry (Hercules and Iole), as is Ianthe. Also, possibly the ‘le’ in Iole is meant for Letitia Elizabeth. Whilst the style is quintessentially Landon, the ultimate proof is that two Iole poems are included in Landon’s collection, The Vow of the Peacock and Other Poems, in 1835. As in other instances, she claimed poetry that was not immediately attributable to her by including it in one of her published volumes.