GEOFFREY CHAUCER, the father of English poetry, was born in
London in 1340. The colleges of Oxford and Cambridge both claim him
as a student. He enjoyed the favor of King Edward the Third, and
passed much of his time at court. In 1386 he was made a knight, and
during the latter part of his life he received an annual pension.
He died in 1400. His writings are in a language so different from
modern English that many persons cannot enjoy their beauties. His
principal poems are "Canterbury Tales," "The Legend of Good Women,"
"The Court of Love," and "Troilus and Cressida."
EDMUND SPENSER was born in London about 1553. He was
graduated at Cambridge in 1576, and soon after wrote "The Shepherd's
Calendar." Sir Philip Sidney and Sir Walter Raleigh were his friends
and patrons. In 1598 Spenser was appointed a sheriff in Ireland, and
not long afterward in a rebellion his property was destroyed and his
child killed. He did not long survive this calamity. His best-known
poem is "The Faery Queen."
THE REIGN OF QUEEN ELIZABETH is often called the Golden Age of
English literature. Not only did Spenser and Shakespeare live then,
but a large number of minor poets also rendered the period
illustrious. Among the dramatic poets Christopher Marlowe, Beaumont
and Fletcher, who wrote together, and Ben Jonson hold an honorable
position. The most noted lyric poets of the day were George Herbert,
Sir Walter Raleigh, and Sir Philip Sidney. WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE,
the greatest of English poets, was born at Stratford-on-Avon in
April, 1564. He is supposed to have been educated at the free school
of Stratford. When he was about twenty-two, he went to London, and
after a hard struggle with poverty, he became first an actor, then a
successful playwright and theater manager. Having gained not only
fame but a modest fortune, he retired in 1611 to live at ease in
Stratford until his death in 1616. Besides the two long poems,
"Venus and Adonis" and "Lucrece," which first won popularity for
him, he has written thirty-seven plays, ranging from the lightest
comedy, through romance and historical narrative, to the darkest
tragedy. Whatever form his verse takes,--sonnet, song, or dramatic
poetry,--it shows the touch of the master hand, the inspiration of
the master mind. Of his plays those which are still most frequently
acted are the tragedies "Hamlet," "Macbeth," "King Lear," and
"Othello," the comedies "Midsummer-night's Dream," "The Merchant of
Venice," "As You Like It," and "The Comedy of Errors," and the
historical plays "Julius Caesar," "King Henry IV," "King Henry V,"
and "Richard III."
BEN JONSON was born at Westminster, England, about 1573. He
was the friend of Shakespeare and a famous dramatist in his day, but
his plays no longer hold the stage. His best play is "Every Man in
his Humour." His songs and short poems are beautiful. He died in
1637. His tomb in Westminster Abbey is inscribed "O Rare Ben Jonson!"
GEORGE HERBERT was born in Montgomery Castle, Wales, April 3,
1593. He was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge. Later he
studied for the ministry and was appointed vicar of Bremerton. His
"Sacred Poems" are noted for their purity and beauty of sentiment.
He died in 1633.
JOHN MILTON was born in London, December 9, 1608. He was
educated at Christ's College, Cambridge. Later he spent a year in
travel, meeting the great Galileo while in Italy. He was an ardent
advocate of freedom, and under the Protectorate he was the secretary
of the Protector, Oliver Cromwell. When only forty-six, he became
totally blind, yet his greatest work was done after this misfortune
overtook him. As a poet he stands second only to Shakespeare. His
early poems, "Comus," "L'Allegro," "Il Penseroso," and "Lycidas,"
are very beautiful, and his "Paradise Lost" is the finest epic poem
in the English language. He died in 1674.
THE MINOR POETS of the age of Milton were Edmund Waller,
Robert Herrick, George Wither, Sir John Suckling, and Sir Richard
Lovelace.
JOHN DRYDEN was born August 9, 1631. He was educated at
Trinity College, Cambridge. His poem in honor of the restoration
of Charles II won him the position of Poet Laureate. His best-known
works are the poetic "Translation of Virgil's Aeneid," "Alexander's
Feast," "The Hind and the Panther," and the drama "The Indian
Emperor." He died in 1700.
THE REIGN OF QUEEN ANNE was rendered brilliant by the writings
of Alexander Pope, Joseph Addison, Edward Young, James Thompson,
William Collins, Sir Richard Steele, Jonathan Swift, and Daniel
Defoe. Not only were the poems of this period beautiful, but prose
also reached a high development.
JOSEPH ADDISON was born at Milston, England, May 1, 1672. He
completed his education at Queen's and Magdalen colleges, Oxford. He
entered the diplomatic service and rose steadily, becoming one of the
two principal secretaries of state two years before his death. He
attained a higher political position than any other writer has ever
achieved through his literary ability. With Steele he published
_The Tatler_, and later _The Spectator_, at first a daily paper and
afterward a tri-weekly one. He was a master of English prose, and his
poems are elevated and serious in style. He died in 1719.
ISAAC WATTS was born at Southampton, July 17, 1674. He studied
for the ministry. He wrote nearly five hundred hymns besides his
"Divine and Moral Songs for Children." Many of his hymns are still
favorites. He died in 1748.
ALEXANDER POPE was born in London, May 21, 1688. Sickly and
deformed, he was unable to attend school, but he was nevertheless
a great student. His writings are witty and satirical. His best-known
poems are "Essay on Man," "Translation of the Iliad," "Essay on
Criticism," and "The Rape of the Lock." He died in 1744.
THOMAS GRAY was born in London in 1716. He was educated at
Eton, and Peter-House College, Cambridge. He lived all his life at
Cambridge, ultimately being appointed professor of Modern History.
His most famous poem is the "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard."
He died in 1771.
WILLIAM COWPER was born at Great Berkhamstead, England,
November 26, 1731. He was educated at Westminster School, and studied
law at the Middle Temple, being called to the bar in 1754. He was
very delicate and afflicted with nervousness that amounted to
insanity at times. Not until 1780 did he seriously begin his literary
career. Then for a period of a little more than ten years he worked
with success and was happy. His most famous poems are "John Gilpin,"
"The Task," "Hope," and "Lines on my Mother's Portrait." In the
latter part of his life his nervous melancholy again affected him.
He died in 1800.
ROBERT BURNS was born at Ayr in Scotland, January 25, 1759.
He was the son of a poor farmer, and he himself followed the plow
in his earlier days. He was about to seek his fortune in America
when his first volume of poems was published and won him fame at
once. His style is simple and sincere, with a fire of intensity.
His best poems are "Tam o'Shanter" and "The Cottar's Saturday Night."
He died July 21, 1796.
WILLIAM WORDSWORTH was born at Cockermouth, in Cumberland,
England, on April 7, 1770. He completed his education at St John's
College, Cambridge, taking his degree of B A in 1791. He was
appointed Poet Laureate in 1843, succeeding Robert Southey. He is
the poet of nature and of simple life. Among his best known poems
are "The Ode to Immortality," "The Excursion," and "Yarrow
Revisited." He died April 23, 1850.
SIR WALTER SCOTT was born in Edinburgh, August 15, 1771. He
was educated at Edinburgh University and afterward studied law in
his father's office. His energy and tireless work were marvelous.
He followed the practice of his profession until he was appointed
Clerk of Session. His official duties were scrupulously performed,
yet his literary work surpasses in volume and ability that of any of
his contemporaries. Novelist, historian, poet, he excelled in whatever
style of literature he attempted. His best-known poems are "The Lady
of the Lake," "Marmion," and "The Lay of the Last Minstrel." He died
in 1832.
ROBERT SOUTHEY was born at Bristol, August 12, 1774. He was
expelled from Westminster School for writing an article against
school flogging. Later he studied at Balliol College, Oxford. He was
an incessant worker, laboring at all branches of literature, from
his famous nursery story, "The Three Bears," to "The Life of Nelson."
He was appointed Laureate in 1813. His most successful long poems are
"Thalaba," and "The Curse of Kehama." He died in 1843.
THOMAS CAMPBELL was born in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1777. He was
educated at the university of his native town, and he was regarded as
its most brilliant scholar, in his later life he was elected Lord
Rector of the university. His best known poems are "The Pleasures of
Hope," "Gertrude of Wyoming," and "Ye Mariners of England." He died
in 1844.
THOMAS MOORE was born in Dublin, Ireland, in 1779. He was
educated at Trinity College, and afterward studied law at the Middle
Temple, London. "Lalla Rookh," and his "Irish Melodies" have won for
him a lasting fame as a poet. He died February 26, 1852.
JAMES HENRY LEIGH HUNT was born near London in 1784. He left
school when only fifteen to become a clerk in the War Office, where
he remained until 1808, when he and his brother published _The
Examiner_. From that time he was occupied as an editor and writer,
being connected with different periodicals. He was the intimate
friend of Byron, Moore, Shelley, and Keats. One of his best poems,
"Rimini," was written in prison, where he was condemned to remain for
two years because he had published a satirical article about the
prince regent. In his later years a pension of two hundred pounds
was granted him. He died August 28, 1859.
GEORGE GORDON NOEL, LORD BYRON, was born in London, January
22, 1788. He studied at Trinity College, Cambridge, but did not
remain to take his degree. While at the university he published a
volume of poems, "Hours of Idleness," which he followed shortly by
the satirical poem "English Bards and Scotch Reviewers," which won
him immediate recognition. He wrote many dramatic poems, but his most
beautiful work is "Childe Harold." He was the friend of Shelley and
Leigh Hunt, and together they published _The Liberal_. In 1823
he joined the Greeks in their struggle for freedom, and the exposure
and exertion that he suffered in this war brought on the fever of
which he died in April, 1824.
PERCY BYSSHE SHELLEY was born at Field Place, England, August
4, 1792. He was entered at University College, Oxford, but was
shortly expelled as an atheist. His life was a sad one, his first
marriage was unhappy, and he was drowned when only thirty years old,
in July, 1822. His longest and best works are "The Cenci,"
"Prometheus Unbound," "The Revolt of Islam," and "Adonais," an elegy
on the death of his friend, the poet Keats, near whom he was buried.
JOHN KEATS was born in London, England, in 1795 or 1796. His
poem "Endymion" was criticised severely in the _Quarterly
Review_. Keats was so sensitive that this criticism is supposed to
have aggravated his malady, and thus to be responsible for his early
death. Among his other poems may be noted "Hyperion," "Lamia," and
"The Eve of St Agnes." He died at Rome in 1821.
THOMAS HOOD was born in London, England, May 23, 1799. His
humorous verses first attracted attention, but his serious poems have
given him a lasting place in literature. Among these are "The Song of
the Shirt," "The Bridge of Sighs," "Eugene Aram," and "Ode to
Melancholy." He died in 1845.
THOMAS BABINGTON, LORD MACAULAY, was born in Leicestershire,
October 25, 1800. He was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge, and
studied law. He disliked his profession, greatly preferring
literature. In 1830 he entered Parliament and was made Secretary of
War in 1839. He was elected Lord Rector of Glasgow University and
was raised to the peerage in 1857. He died in 1859. His best-known
poems are "Ivry" and "The Lays of Ancient Rome."
THE REIGN OF QUEEN VICTORIA from a literary standpoint is
second only to that of Elizabeth in brilliancy. The Victorian Age is
usually applied to the whole century, during the better part of which
Victoria reigned. The literature of this age is rich with the writings
of Robert Browning, Alfred Tennyson, Elizabeth Barrett Browning,
Algernon Charles Swinburne, Dante Gabriel Rossetti and his sister
Christina, William Morris, Matthew Arnold, Edwin Arnold, Jean
Ingelow, Owen Meredith, Arthur Hugh Clough, Adelaide Procter, and a
host of minor poets.
ALFRED, LORD TENNYSON, was born at Somersby, August 6, 1809.
He was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge. His first book of
poems, written with his brother Charles, was published two years
before he entered college; from that time until his death his literary
work was continuous. In 1850 he succeeded Wordsworth as Poet Laureate,
and thirty-four years later was raised to the peerage. His poems
cover a wide range--lyrics, ballads, idyls, and dramas. His most
important works are "The Princess," "In Memoriam," "Maud," and "The
Idylls of the King." He died in 1892.
ELIZABETH BARRETT BROWNING was born at Durham, England, March
6, 1809. She was highly educated and was proficient in both Greek and
Latin. She wrote her first verses at the age of ten, and her first
volume of poems was published when she was but seventeen years old.
In 1846 she was married to the poet Robert Browning. Her first known
works are "Aurora Leigh," a novel in verse, "The Portuguese Sonnets,"
"Casa Guidi Windows," and "The Cry of the Children," a poem written
to show the wretchedness of the little children employed in the mines
and factories of England. She died at Florence, Italy, in June, 1861.
ROBERT BROWNING was born in Camberwell, England, in 1812. He
was educated at the University of London. He married Elizabeth
Barrett, the poet, and together they lived much of their time in
Italy. They were deeply interested in the struggle of Italy for
freedom, and both wrote on this subject. In his long life Browning
wrote many volumes of poems, and it is difficult to choose among
them. "The Pied Piper of Hamelin" is always a favorite with the young
people, as are "How they brought the Good News from Ghent to Aix,"
"Herve Riel," and "Ratisbon." His most popular poems are "Pippa
Passes," "The Ring and the Book," "A Blot on the 'Scutcheon," and
"Saul." He died in 1889.
MARIAN EVANS, who wrote under the name of George Eliot, was
born at Aubury Farm, near Nuneaton, England, November 22, 1819. She
was carefully educated and was a most earnest student. While her
poems are beautiful, her best work is in prose, and she ranks as one
of England's greatest novelists. Her most famous novels are "Adam
Bede," "The Mill on the Floss," "Silas Marner," and "Middlemarch."
She married Mr John Cross, in May, 1880, and died December 22 of the
same year.
JEAN INGELOW was born at Boston, England, in 1820. She is
known both as a poet and novelist. Her best-known poems are "Songs
of Seven" and "The High Tide on the Coast of Lincolnshire." She died
in 1897.
MATTHEW ARNOLD, son of Thomas Arnold of Rugby, was born at
Laleham, England, December 24, 1822. He was educated at Rugby and
Oxford. In 1857 he was elected professor of Poetry at Oxford. He is
chiefly noted for his essays, though his poems are lofty in sentiment
and polished in diction. "Sohrab and Rustum" is his most important
poem. He died in 1888.
DINAH MARIA MULOCK CRAIK was born in Staffordshire, England,
in 1826. She won her fame as a writer of novels, of which the best
is "John Halifax, Gentleman." She died in 1887.
WILLIAM MORRIS was born in Walthamstow, March 24, 1834. He
was educated at Exeter College, Oxford. Before he was thirty years
old he founded an establishment for the manufacture of artistic
materials for household decoration. His work in this direction has
improved the beauty of all household fabrics, and has affected the
taste in household art in both England and America. Nevertheless
he is best known as a poet. His finest poems are "The Earthly
Paradise," a series of Norse legends, "Three Northern Stones,"
translated from Icelandic poems, and his translations of "The
Odyssey." He died in 1896.
ALGERNON CHARLES SWINBURNE was born in London, April 5, 1837.
He was educated partly in France, at Eton, and at Balliol College,
Oxford. He left the University without a degree to spend several
years in travel. He is a master of English, using a wider vocabulary
than any of his contemporaries, and the musical effects of his many
varied meters have won for him a unique position in poetry. He has
been called "the greatest metrical inventor in English literature."
His works in French and Latin show him to be a poet in three
languages. His best-known works are "Poems and Ballads," "Songs
before Sunrise," and "Mary Stuart." He is the greatest living
English poet.
DANTE GABRIEL ROSSETTI was born in London, May 12, 1828. He
studied art in the antique school of the Royal Academy, and became
known as an artist before he won fame as a poet. His most widely
known poem is "The Blessed Damozel." He died in 1882.
CHRISTINA GEORGINA ROSSETTI, the sister of D.G. Rossetti, was
born in London, December 5, 1830. She ranks as one of the greatest
and most spiritual of English poetesses.
SIR EDWIN ARNOLD was born in Sussex, June 10, 1832. He was
educated at King's College, London, and at University College,
Oxford. He was appointed principal of the Government Sanscrit
College at Poonah, India, and Fellow of the University of Bombay, and
held these posts through the Sepoy Rebellion. Returning to London in
1861, he was one of the editors of the _Daily Telegraph_, and
through his influence Henry M. Stanley undertook his first expedition
into Africa to find Livingstone. Nearly all of his poetry deals with
Oriental legends, and much of his time was spent in India and Japan.
His principal works are "The Light of Asia," "Pearls of the Faith,"
"Indian Song of Songs," "Japonica," and "The Light of the World."
RUDYARD KIPLING was born in Bombay, India, December 30, 1865.
He was educated partly in England, but returned to India when he was
only fifteen, and there began his literary work and first won fame.
His writings are mainly in prose, and he is at his best when writing
of India. His poems are all short, and "The Recessional" and "The
Dove of Dacca" are especially fine. In prose the "Jungle Books,"
"The Naulakha," and "Kim" are the most popular.
AMONG THE MINOR POETS of the Victorian Age may be mentioned
the following:--
John Henry, Cardinal Newman, 1801-1890. Author of many volumes of
sermons and the hymn "Lead Kindly Light."
Henry Francis Lyte, 1763-1847. Author of many hymns, the most
popular of which is "Abide with Me."