Mark Akenside

Adam Simon Rounce (University of Nottingham)
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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 …

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 28 March 2024.]

5101 Mark Akenside 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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