Mark Akenside

Adam Simon Rounce (University of Nottingham)

Ed. by Daniel Cook, University of Dundee
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 9 Nov 1721
Died 23 Jun 1770
Activity 1744-1770

Places

Born in England
Active in England

Activities

Primary

Poet

Resources

Mark Akenside (1721-1770) was one of the most significant poets of the mid to late eighteenth century. His posthumous reputation is in some respects a model of how Victorian taste progressively forgot the poets of the preceding century. Born to a dissenting family in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne (his father was a butcher), Akenside was something of a prodigy, and the extent of his early education and talent is said to be considerable (another childhood incident supposedly had his foot being badly injured by a meat cleaver in his father’s shop, though this was probably a misapprehension of Akenside being born with a slightly shortened leg). Akenside attended Edinburgh University, decided to specialise in medicine, and went to get his degree …

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1666 words

Citation: Rounce, Adam Simon. "Mark Akenside". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 14 September 2016 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=5101, accessed 24 November 2024.]

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