William Cowper:The forerunner of English Romantic poetry||The poet,his life,works and biography
William Cowper is known as the forerunner of English Romantic poetry.In this blog we shall delve into the life and work of one of the well-known poets of the 18th Century.
Introduction
Considered as the forerunner of English Romantic poetry, William Cowper wrote in the Eighteenth century drawing from the day to day experiences of his life.
William Cowper,Mostly famous for his poetry on nature.He was a remarkable poet and essayist who also wrote hymns.His poetry had the flavour of both the 18th and 19th centuries.
William Cowper's life and Biography
William Cowper was born on November 26,1731 at Berkhamsted, United Kingdom to Reverend John Cowper and Ann Donne Cowper.He lost his mother at a tender age.After lost of his mother,the poet mentally breakdown.
The Schooling experience was an unhappy one.He was bullied at Dr.Pitman's School where he was first admitted.Next he was sent to Westminster school where he spent seven years from 1741 to 1748.
William Cowper pursued law in middle Temple.He had developed a romantic inclination towards his cousin, Theodora.The love was not successful one as his parents were against the relationship.
After unsuccessful love,he went to depression and instability.He suffered from severe nervous breakdown while appearing for an examination for the position of clerk in the house of Lords.He failed three suicide attempts.
After two years he moved to Huntington to stay with a retired clergy Morley Unwin and his wife,Mary.After the death of Morley Unwin,he stayed with Mary and a close relationship builded between them.
Mary took care of Cowper in an attack of insanity in 1773.She successfully helped him to recover from his illness.They lived together until Mary's death in 1796.
William Cowper Works
William Cowper is best remembered for the poem "John Gilpin's Diverting History" as well as his hymns. The Olney Hymns was the first publication which was a joint work by Cowper and John Newton. The major theme of this work is the need for salvation human.
Some of the hymns are "There is a Fountain Filled with Blood", "To Jesus, the Crown of My Hope", "O Lord! In Sorrow I Resign", "There is a Safe and Secret Place", to name a few .
His famous poem "John Gilpin's Diverting History" is a comic piece published in 1782. William Cowper's Volume Poems, of the Inner Temple, Esq was published in 1782.
In 1785, William Cowper's "The task"-a poem of about five thousand lines written in the blank verse wa published and received huge critical acclaim.
Conclusion
William Cowper's later life was engrossed in translation of Homer's Iliad and Odyssey.Moreover these , William's letters are known for its humour and his lively treatment of everyday life.
