William Cowper

Joseph Musser (Ohio Wesleyan University)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.05: English Writing and Culture from the Glorious Revolution to the French Revolution, 1689-1789.
Vol. editors: Paul Baines (University of Liverpool), Daniel Cook (University of Dundee), Pat Rogers (University of South Florida), Nicholas Seager (University of Keele)

Dates

Born 15 Nov 1731
Died 25 Apr 1800
Activity 1779-1800

Places

Born in England
Active in England

Activities

Primary

Hymnist/ Psalmist
Poet
Religious writer

Other

Autobiographer
Letter-writer/ Diarist
Translator

Resources

Engraving by William Holl the Younger after an unidentified artist, 1853. Courtesy The Walter Scott Digital Archive, Edinburgh University Library.

William Cowper (1731-1800) is notable as both a poet and a letter-writer. His poetry was among the most popular in England from the late eighteenth century to the mid-nineteenth century. The OED cites about 6,000 quotations from Cowper, over twice as many as from Wordsworth. And Gilbert Thomas suggests that among poets Cowper trails only Shakespeare as a source of common phrases and proverbs. But his reputation has declined. Though some of his …

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2540 words

Citation: Musser, Joseph. "William Cowper". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 04 October 2004 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=1049, accessed 23 November 2024.]

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