The Life, and Posthumous Writings, of William Cowper, Esqr.

Download or read book The Life, and Posthumous Writings, of William Cowper, Esqr. written by William Hayley and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 1806 with total page 157 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Successors such as Wordsworth and Coleridge admired yet overshadowed William Cowper (1731–1800). Troubled by mental instability, he retreated from both the legal profession and the woman he had hoped to marry, seeking out a quiet existence in the country. In spite of his struggles, he made a translation of Homer's Iliad, produced a considerable body of poetry, and maintained many epistolary contacts. This four-volume biography, compiled by his friend and fellow poet William Hayley (1745–1820), appeared between 1803 and 1806, bringing together selected letters and unpublished poems to illuminate Cowper's personal and literary life. Volume 4 (1806) is a collection of supplementary material, namely amendments to the previous volumes, additional letters and an index giving a short description of every letter's content.