L. E. L. (Letitia Elizabeth Landon), 1802-1838

A celebrity sensation for her best-selling poetry and the erotic scandal that is inextricable from her fame, Letitia Landon, better known as L. E. L., enjoyed a wide and appreciative audience for her poetry and literary essays. Less known to her readers and still often unsung today was her periodical editing work and anonymous reviewing, especially for the Literary Gazette, edited by Landon's literary mentor and eventual lover, William Jerdan.

Lamb, Mary, 1764-1847

Lamb, Mary, 1764-1847 (Library of Congress Name Authority)— Sister of the author Charles Lamb, Mary Lamb collaborated with her brother on Tales from Shakespeare (1807) as well as some other works for children. After Charles left school, he and Mary resided in their family home until 1796. At that point, exhausted from the strain of caring for aged parents, Mary stabbed and killed their mother and was institutionalized for insanity. Eventually released to Charles's care, she experienced periodic recurrences of instability, several requiring temporary rehospitalization.

Lamb, Charles, 1775-1834

Charles Lamb's modest family origins included a father who was a servant and a mother who was the daughter of a female domestic. Though his parents bore seven children, only Charles, his older sister Mary, and the oldest boy John survived infancy. Charles was educated at Christ's Hospital, joining the East India Company soon after he left the school. During 1795 he suffered a mental breakdown and was confined for six weeks. In 1796, Mary also suffered a breakdown, stabbing and killing their mother.

Lake School

The poets who for a time lived and collaborated in the northern English lake district, including William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, and Robert Southey.