Thomas Warton, the Younger

Thomas Warton (January 9, 1728 – May 21, 1790) was an English literary historian and critic, as well as a poet. From 1785 through 1790 he was the Poet Laureate of England. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... January 9 is the 9th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events Astronomical aberration discovered by the astronomer James Bradley Swedish academy of sciences founded at Uppsala The founding of the University of Havana (Universidad de la Habana), Cubas most well-established university. ... May 21 is the 141st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (142nd in leap years). ... Year 1790 (MDCCXC) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the 11-day slower Julian calendar). ... Motto (French) God and my right Anthem God Save the King (Queen) England() – on the European continent() – in the United Kingdom() Capital (and largest city) London (de facto) Official languages English (de facto) Government Constitutional monarchy  -  Queen Queen Elizabeth II  -  Prime Minister Tony Blair MP Unification  -  by Athelstan 967  Area... The poor poet A poet is a person who writes poetry. ... A Poet Laureate is a poet officially appointed by a government and often expected to compose poems for state occasions and other government events. ...

Life

Warton was born in Basingstoke, Hampshire, England, the son of poet Thomas Warton, the Elder (c. 1688 - 1745), and younger brother of Joseph Warton. As a youngster, Warton demonstrated a strong predilection toward writing poetry, a skill he would continue to develop all of his life^[1]. In fact, Warton translated one of Martial's epigrams at nine, and wrote The Pleasures of Melancholy at seventeen Basingstoke railway station, as seen from Alençon Link. ... Hampshire, sometimes historically Southamptonshire or Hamptonshire, (abbr. ... Motto (French) God and my right Anthem God Save the King (Queen) England() – on the European continent() – in the United Kingdom() Capital (and largest city) London (de facto) Official languages English (de facto) Government Constitutional monarchy  -  Queen Queen Elizabeth II  -  Prime Minister Tony Blair MP Unification  -  by Athelstan 967  Area... Joseph Warton (April, 1722 - February 23, 1800) was an English academic and literary critic. ... Marcus Valerius Martialis, known in English as Martial, was a Latin poet from Hispania (the Iberian Peninsula) best known for his twelve books of Epigrams, published in Rome between AD 86 and 103, during the reigns of the emperors Domitian, Nerva and Trajan. ...

His early education was given him by his father. At sixteen years of age he enrolled at Winchester College, later moving to Trinity College, Oxford. He graduated from Oxford in 1747, where he subsequently became a Fellow. Warton was selected as poet Laureate of Oxford in 1747 and again in 1748. His duty in this post was write a poem about a selected patroness of the University, which would be read to her on a specially appointed day^[1]. Winchester College is a well-known boys independent school, and an example of a British public school, in the city of Winchester in Hampshire, England. ... College name The College of the Most Holy and Undivided Trinity and Sir Thomas Pope (Knight) Named after The Holy Trinity Established 1555 Sister College Churchill College President Sir Ivor Roberts KCMG MA JCR President Richard Appleton Undergraduates 298 MCR President Andrew Ng Graduates 105 Homepage Boatclub See also Trinity...

Warton was appointed Professor of Poetry at the university in 1757, and held the post for ten years^[2]. The chair of Professor of Poetry at the University of Oxford is an unusual, high-profile academic appointment, now normally held for five years. ... 1757 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ...

In 1785, he was appointed Camden Professor of History, as well as poet laureate. He was a friend as well as a rival of Samuel Johnson, and his poetry was greatly influenced by earlier English poets, like Chaucer, Drayton, Fairfax, and Spenser. 1785 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... William Camden William Camden (May 2, 1551 - November 9, 1623) was an English antiquarian and historian. ... For other persons named Samuel Johnson, see Samuel Johnson (disambiguation). ...

Among other important contributions, Warton, along with his brother, was among the first to argue that Sir Thopas, by Geoffrey Chaucer, was a parody. Warton contributed to the general project of the ballad revival. He was a general supporter of the poetry of Thomas Gray—a fact that Johnson satirized in his parody "Hermit hoar, in solemn cell." Among his minor works were an edition of Theocritus, a selection of Latin and Greek inscriptions, the humorous Oxford Companion to the Guide and Guide to the Companion (1762); lives of Sir Thomas Pope and Ralph Bathurst; and an Inquiry into the Authenticity of the Poems attributed to Thomas Rowley (1782). This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Illustration by Arthur Rackham of the ballad The Twa Corbies A ballad is a story, usually a narrative or poem, in a song. ... Thomas Gray Thomas Gray (December 26, 1716 – July 30, 1771), was an English poet, classical scholar and professor of history at Cambridge University. ... Theocritus (Greek Θεόκριτος), the creator of Ancient Greek bucolic poetry, flourished in the 3rd century BC. Little is known of him beyond what can be inferred from his writings. ...

Poetry, Criticism and Historical Works

In 1749, Warton penned The Triumph of Isis, a poem praising of Oxford and the many students who had received their education there. Published anonymously, The Triumph of Isis rebutted William Mason’s Isis, an Elegy published the previous year, which was anything but flattering to Oxford^[1]. William Mason (1725 – 1797) was an English poet, editor and gardener. ...

Following the success of The Triumph of Isis, Warton wrote Newmarket, a Satire, which was followed by a collection of verses.

Warton's first major academic work was Observations on the Faerie Queene of Spenser, published in 1754. He is, however, best known for the three-volume The History of English Poetry (1774–81), which covered the poetry of the 11th through the 16th centuries. Although the work was criticized for its many inaccuracies, it is nonetheless considered a highly important and influential historical tome. Una and the Lion by Briton Rivière The Faerie Queene is an English epic poem by Edmund Spenser, published first in three books in 1590, and later in six books in 1596. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ...

As a poet, Warton was more inclined toward light and humorous verse, odes and sonnets. His sonnets helped to revive the form, which had fallen out of fashion.

He is remembered for his interest in primitivism, which was an important stage toward romance.

A Sonnet by Warton

While his other poems had merit in their own right, his sonnets are generally considered his best work. One of these, To the River Lodon is considered the most natural.

William Whitehead (1715 - 1785) was an English poet and playwright. ... A Poet Laureate is a poet officially appointed by a government and often expected to compose poems for state occasions and other government events. ... Henry James Pye Henry James Pye (February 20, 1745 – August 11, 1813) was an English poet. ...

Various works

• The Pleasures of Melancholy
• Observations on the Faerie Queene of Spenser (1754)
• The Oxford Sausage (ed.) (1764) -- an anthology of verse and Oxford wit
• Inquiry into the Authenticity of the Rowley Poems (1770)
• History of English Poetry (1774-81)

Notes

1. ^ ^{a b c} Life of Thomas Warton, the Younger
2. ^ "He was ordained and eventually served as professor of poetry at Oxford from 1757 to 1767." Warton, Thomas, 1728–90, English poet and literary historian
3. ^ Chambers' Book of Days May 21st