John Ruskin - Fictional Portrayals

Fictional Portrayals

  • Ruskin figures as Mr Herbert in The New Republic (1878), a novel by one of his Oxford undergraduates, William Mallock (1849–1923).
  • The Love of John Ruskin (1912) a silent movie about Ruskin, Effie and Millais.
  • Edith Wharton's False Dawn novella, the first in the 1924 Old New York series has the protagonist meet John Ruskin.
  • Dante's Inferno (1967) Ken Russell's biopic for television of Rossetti, in which Ruskin is played by Clive Goodwin
  • The Love School (1975) a BBC TV series about the Pre-Raphaelites, starring David Collings (Ruskin), Anne Kidd (Effie), Peter Egan (Millais).
  • John Ruskin's Wife (1979) a novel about the marriage by Eva McDonald.
  • Peter Hoyle’s novel, Brantwood: The Story of an Obsession (1986) is about two cousins who pursue their interest in Ruskin to his Coniston home.
  • The Passion of John Ruskin (1994), a film directed by Alex Chapple, starring Mark McKinney (Ruskin), Neve Campbell (Rose la Touche) and Colette Stevenson (Effie).
  • "Modern Painters" (1995) an opera about Ruskin by David Lang.
  • Parrots and Owls (1994) a radio play by John Purser about Ruskin's attempt to revive Gothic architecture and his connection to the O'Shea brothers.
  • The Countess (1995), a play written by Gregory Murphy, dealing with Ruskin's marriage.
  • The Invention of Truth (1995), a novel written by Marta Morazzoni in which Ruskin makes his last visit to Amiens cathedral in 1879.
  • The Order of Release (1998), a radio play by Robin Brooks about Ruskin (Bob Peck), Effie (Sharon Small) and Millais (David Tennant).
  • The Invention of Love by Tom Stoppard (1998) is mainly about A. E. Housman, but Ruskin appears.
  • Ruskin and the Hinksey diggings form the backdrop to Ann Harries’ novel, Manly Pursuits (1999).
  • The Woman Who Gave Birth to Rabbits (2002), a collection of short stories by Emma Donoghue, contains the story Come, Gentle Night about Ruskin and Effie's wedding night.
  • Mrs Ruskin (2003), a play by Kim Morrissey dealing with Ruskin's marriage.
  • Sesame and Roses (2007), a short story by Grace Andreacchi that explores Ruskin's twin obsessions with Venice and Rose la Touche.
  • Desperate Romantics (2009), a six-part BBC drama serial about the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. Ruskin is played by Tom Hollander.
  • A Dream of Fair Women (2009) a novel by Donald Measham, combines the fictional and the real. Set in the years 1873–78, it imaginatively explores Ruskin's life: Ruskin gets messages from the dead Rose, visits Bond Street and the Black Country nailers, and encounters the Devil at Brantwood.

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