Philip Dormer Stanhope, Letters To His Son

Christopher Mayo (Adelphi 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

First circulation or publication 1774

Places

England (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Didactic
Non-Fiction
- Letter(s)

Resources

Letters to his Son includes over 400* letters written by Philip Dormer Stanhope, fourth earl of Chesterfield, to his illegitimate son, Philip Stanhope (1732-1768), between the years of 1737 or 1738 and 1768, the year of his son’s death. Chesterfield’s early letters to his son – written in French, English, and, occasionally, Latin – largely focus on instructing his son in geography, history, and classical literature. The late letters, written when Philip had an established career as a minor diplomat, deal principally with political matters. Those written in between, from 1746 to 1754, comprise the bulk of Letters to his Son, and include the great majority of Chesterfield’s most famous – and most notorious –…

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1084 words

Citation: Mayo, Christopher. "Letters To His Son". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 25 February 2007 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=21002, accessed 25 November 2024.]

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