Edward Lear: Deleuzian Landscape Painter

Edward Lear was able to translate the picturesque tradition of landscape painting into a comic appraisal of his experiences and of Victorian society. He broke free of the limitations of Victorian society, crossing boundaries of gender, class, race and economic positions. Both Lear's nonsense poetry and illustrations show his perceptions while his comic picturesque journals emphasize the humor he experienced life through. Critics who relate his satire to a low self-esteem or confused sexual identity fail to understand the freedom Lear's lifestyle and writing gave him.