Editing Lytton Strachey (section)

==Early life and education==

=== Youth ===
Strachey was born on 1 March 1880 at Stowey House, [[Clapham Common]], London, the fifth son and 11th child of Lieutenant General Sir [[Richard Strachey]], an officer in the British colonial armed forces, and his second wife, the former [[Jane Maria Strachey|Jane Grant]], who became a leading supporter of the [[Women's suffrage in the United Kingdom|women's suffrage]] movement. He was named Giles Lytton after an early 16th-century Gyles Strachey and the [[Robert Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Earl of Lytton|first Earl of Lytton]], who had been a friend of Richard Strachey's when he was [[Governor General of India|Viceroy of India]] in the late 1870s. The Earl of Lytton was also Lytton Strachey's godfather.<ref name="sanders">Charles Richard Sanders, ''Lytton Strachey: His Mind and Art'', New Haven: Yale University Press, 1957.</ref> The Stracheys had thirteen children in total, ten of whom survived to adulthood, including Lytton's sister [[Dorothy Bussy|Dorothy Strachey]] and youngest brother, the psychoanalyst, [[James Strachey]].

When Lytton was four years old the family moved from Stowey House to 69 [[Lancaster Gate]], north of [[Kensington Gardens]].<ref>Since May 1959 the Stracheys' former home has been part of Douglas House, the large American Forces Club that now occupies Nos. 66–71 Lancaster Gate.</ref> This was their home until Sir Richard retired 20 years later.<ref name="holroyd">[[Michael Holroyd]], ''Lytton Strachey: A Biography'', Penguin, 1971. ({{ISBN|0-374-52465-3}}).</ref> Lady Strachey was an enthusiast for languages and literature, making her children perform their own plays and write verse from an early age. She thought that Lytton had the potential to become a great artist so she decided that he would receive the best education possible to be "enlightened."<ref>Mary Stocks, ''My Commonplace Book''. Peter Stocks, 1970.</ref> By 1887 he had begun the study of French, and he was to admire French culture throughout his life.<ref name="sanders"/>

Strachey was educated at a series of schools, beginning at [[Parkstone]], Dorset. This was a small school with a wide range of after-class activities, where Strachey's acting skills exceeded those of other pupils; he was particularly convincing when portraying female parts. He told his mother how much he liked dressing as a woman in real life to confuse and entertain others.<ref>Holroyd, pp. 72–73.</ref>

Lady Strachey decided in 1893 that her son should start his more serious education and sent him to [[Abbotsholme School]] in [[Rocester]], Derbyshire, where pupils were required to do manual work every day. Strachey, who always had a fragile physique, objected to this requirement and after a few months, he was transferred to [[Leamington College]], where he became a victim of savage bullying.<ref name="sanders"/><ref>Holroyd, 93.</ref> Sir Richard, however, told his son to "grin and bear the petty bullying."<ref>Holroyd, 94.</ref> Strachey did eventually adapt to the school and became one of its best pupils. In the 1960s one of the four 'houses' at the school was named after him. His health also seems to have improved during the three years he spent at Leamington, although various illnesses continued to plague him.<ref>Holroyd, 96.</ref>

[[File:StracheyFamily.jpg|thumb|left|Sons and daughters of Sir [[Richard Strachey]] and Lady Strachey. Left to right: Marjorie, [[Dorothy Bussy|Dorothea]], Lytton, Joan Pernel, [[Oliver Strachey|Oliver]], Dick, Ralph, [[Pippa Strachey|Philippa]], Elinor, [[James Strachey|James]]]]

When Strachey turned 17 in 1897, Lady Strachey decided that he was ready to leave school and go to university, but because she thought he was too young for [[University of Oxford|Oxford]] she decided that he should first attend a smaller institution, the [[University of Liverpool]]. There Strachey befriended the professor of modern literature, [[Walter Raleigh (professor)|Walter Raleigh]], who, besides being his favourite teacher, also became the most influential figure in his life before he went up to [[University of Cambridge|Cambridge]]. In 1899 Strachey took the [[Christ Church, Oxford|Christ Church]] scholarship examination, wanting to get into [[Balliol College, Oxford]], but the examiners determined that Strachey's academic achievements were not remarkable and were struck by his "shyness and nervousness."<ref>Holroyd, 129.</ref> They recommended [[Lincoln College, Oxford|Lincoln College]] as a more suitable institution, advice that Lady Strachey took as an insult, deciding then that he would attend [[Trinity College, Cambridge]], instead.<ref>Holroyd, 130.</ref>

=== Cambridge ===
Strachey was admitted as a Pensioner at [[Trinity College, Cambridge]], on 30 September 1899.<ref>{{acad|id=STRY899GL|name=Strachey, Giles Lytton}}</ref> He became an Exhibitioner in 1900 and a Scholar in 1902. He won the Chancellor's Medal for English Verse in 1902<ref>{{Cite newspaper The Times |title=University intelligence |date=10 March 1902 |page=11 |issue=36711}}</ref> and was given a BA degree after he had won a second class in the History Tripos in June 1903. He did not however take leave of Trinity but remained until October 1905 to work on a thesis that he hoped would gain him a fellowship.<ref name="sanders"/> Strachey was often ill and had to leave Cambridge repeatedly to recover from the [[palpitations]] that affected him.<ref>Holroyd, 147–153.</ref>

Strachey's years at Cambridge were happy and productive. Among the [[Freshman|freshers]] at Trinity, there were three with whom Strachey soon became closely associated: [[Clive Bell]], [[Leonard Woolf]] and [[Saxon Sydney-Turner]]. With another undergraduate, A. J. Robertson, these students formed a group called the Midnight Society, which, in the opinion of Bell, was the source of the [[Bloomsbury Group]].<ref>Holroyd, 136–137.</ref> Other close friends at Cambridge were [[Thoby Stephen]] and his sisters [[Vanessa Bell|Vanessa]] and [[Virginia Woolf|Virginia Stephen]] (later Bell and Woolf respectively).

Strachey also belonged to the Conversazione Society, the [[Cambridge Apostles]] to which [[Alfred, Lord Tennyson|Tennyson]], [[Arthur Hallam|Hallam]], [[Frederick Denison Maurice|Maurice]], and [[John Sterling (author)|Sterling]] had once belonged. The Apostles formulated an elitist doctrine of "Higher Sodomy" which differentiated the homosexual acts of the intelligent from those of "ordinary" men.<ref>{{cite book |title = Lytton Strachey and the search for modern sexual identity | last=Taddeo| first=Julie Anne | publisher = Routledge; 1 edition |date = 18 July 2002| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=h027XP1CDnYC&q=Greek+love+male+bonding&pg=PA21| isbn=978-1-56023-359-6 }}</ref>{{rp|20–23}} In these years Strachey was highly prolific in writing verse, much of which has been preserved and some of which was published at the time. Strachey also became acquainted with other men who greatly influenced him, including [[G. Lowes Dickinson]], [[John Maynard Keynes]], Walter Lamb (brother of the painter [[Henry Lamb]]), [[George Mallory]], [[Bertrand Russell]]<ref>In his ''Autobiography'', Russell was quite amused by ''[[Eminent Victorians]]'', but did not like Strachey's cynicism about life. Russell writes on page 73 (George Allen and Unwin Ltd., 1971): "Perhaps it was this attitude [about life] which made him, not a great man".</ref> and [[G. E. Moore]]. Moore's philosophy, with its assumption that the ''summum bonum'' lies in achieving a high quality of humanity, in experiencing delectable states of mind, and in intensifying experience by contemplating great works of art, was a particularly important influence.<ref name="sanders"/>

In the summer of 1903, Strachey applied for a position in the education department of the Civil Service. Even though the letters of recommendation written for him by those under whom he had studied showed that he was held in high esteem at Cambridge, he failed to get the appointment and decided to try for a fellowship at Trinity College.<ref name="sanders"/> From 1903 through 1905 he wrote a 400-page dissertation on [[Warren Hastings]], the 18th-century Indian imperialist, but the work failed to secure Strachey the fellowship and led to his return to London.<ref name="sanders"/>