Marcus Clarke, Gerard Manley Hopkins and Cyril Hopkins

Abstract

Amongst unexpected literary connections, that between Marcus Clarke and Gerard Manley Hopkins is one of the more striking ones. The main context is provided by the manuscript biography, Cyril Hopkins' Marcus Clarke (hereafter CH), written by Gerard Manley Hopkins's younger brother, Cyril, some hundred years ago and deposited in the Mitchell Library, Sydney. Marcus Clarke, Gerard Manley Hopkins and Cyril Hopkins were all educated at Sir Roger Chomeley's School, Highgate, usually referred to as Highgate School. They were close friends, and Clarke's letters to Cyril from Australia, along with memories of schooldays, provide the basis for Cyril's biography.