O-T Essential 1700s and 1800s British Literature
Anthony Trollope, Jonathan Swift, Oscar Wilde, and More…
Mar 21, 2009
Following the literary “dictionary” of A-G, and picking-up from H-N Essential 1700s and 1800s British Literature, there are some writers and works which have either been historically influential or become embedded into the common consciousness. Working through the alphabet from O-T, how many of these writers or works have influenced your thoughts?
O - Oscar Wilde
Irish playwright, poet, and author, Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) is best remembered for his own flamboyancy and the wit of his comical plays such as The Importance of Being Earnest (1895). His one novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray (1891) is darker in tone.
P - Sonnets from the Portuguese
These are the best known and most respected poetic efforts of the sickly Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806-1861), who was strongly considered as the successor of William Wordsworth as Poet Laureate. Famously, Elizabeth Barrett was the wife of fellow poet, Robert Browning (1812-1889).
Q - Thomas de Quincey
Although Thomas de Quincey (1785-1859) is not a well known name, he was one of the “Lake School,” which acquired its name from the Lake District, where several figures and founders of the Romantic Movement, such as Samuel Taylor Coleridge and William Wordsworth lived. Friends with both Coleridge and Wordsworth, Thomas de Quincy made his home at Dove Cottage, the former house of Wordsworth. Thomas de Quincy is best known for writing the autobiographical account Confessions of an Opium-Eater (1821), which explained the effects of his addictions.
R - Christina Rossetti
Rosetti (1830-1894) was a poet of romantic, devotional, and children’s poetry, Her best known work is In the Bleak Midwinter. It was written prior to 1872, but it went upublished until after her death. It is now used as the lyrics for a Church of England Christmas Carol.
S - Jonathan Swift
Irish-born cleric, Jonathan Swift (1667-1745) is best remembered as the author of the satirical parody Gulliver’s Travels (1726), which follows the adventures of Dr. Gulliver through several fantasy worlds, revealing aspects of human nature. Since its first publication on 1726, amended in 1735, the book has never been out of print.
T - Anthony Trollope
Contemporary writer to Charles Dickens, Anthony Trollope (1815-1882) was a respected novelist of the 1800s. His reputation and popularity slightly slumped nearing the end of his life, but his works experienced resurgence by the mid-1900s. His works often catalogue the social role of money and economy, and his best known novels include The Way We Live Now (1875) and a series of novels known as the Chronicles of Barchester (1855-1867) and another series about the Palliser family and their society.
U-Z Guide To Eighteenth and Nineteenth Century British Literature
The guide to writers and their works continues with U-Z Essential 1700s and 1800s British Literature. From Romantic Poets such as Wordsworth, Shelley, and Byron to the poetry of Alfred, Lord Tennyson, including Ulysses and The Lady of Shallot, many famous poems were produced during the eighteenth and nineteenth century. Influential novels such as Vanity Fair and Treasure Island also came into being at this time.
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