Sir John Burgoyne

Lois Potter

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 24 Feb 1722
Died 4 Aug 1792
Activity 1786-1792

Places

Born in England
Active in England; United States

Activities

Primary

Playwright / Dramatist

Other

Soldier

Resources

Most of John Burgoyne's literary works show a strong French influence, the result of his having lived for seven years in France in his youth. His first staged work was The Maid of the Oaks (1774), capitalising on the success of a fête champêtre he had organised for the wedding of his friend, the Earl of Derby. Shortly after its Drury Lane premiere (directed by David Garrick) Burgoyne sailed to the American colonies as part of the forces blockading Boston. He organised amateur theatricals for members of the British army stationed there, and wrote a prologue for their production of Zara (Aaron Hill's translation of Voltaire's Zaïre), but there is no evidence for a story that still appears from time to time in p…

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489 words

Citation: Potter, Lois. "Sir John Burgoyne". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 07 July 2001 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=646, accessed 25 November 2024.]

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