Goldsmith, Oliver: The Inspired Idiot

Oliver Goldsmith:

(1728-1774)

Anglo-Irish poet, novelist and dramatist Oliver Goldsmith was born in Ireland in 1728. He was the son of a Protestant Clergyman. After his education at various schools and Trinity College, Dublin, he failed to settle down to any regular professional career. He studied medicine at Edinburgh and Leyden, but never took a medical degree from either university. Indeed, he appears to have been too irresponsible to fit himself for any regular profession. The combination of his literary work and his dissolute lifestyle led Horace Walpole to give him the name of "Inspired Idiot".

For sometime during his twenties he rambled the continent leading hand to mouth existence and often, according to the stories he told later , lived on the the alms he was given for playing the flute. At the age of thirty he settled penniless. In London, he tried to earn a living by writing. He did an immense amount of sheer hack-work. As a writer, he had an easy and graceful style of expression that was quite individual and ran through everything he wrote.

He emerged from obscurity and entered the intellectually brilliant circle of Dr. Johnson and his friends. In 1764, he achieved fame and success with his long poem, 'The Traveler', This was the first of his writings under his own name. Johnson called it the best poem Pope. In 1764, his deservedly popular novel, 'The Vicar of Wakefield' was published long after it had been written and sold to the publisher.

In 1768, his first play, 'The Good natured Man' was first performed. Although it was not very well received, Goldsmith sold its copyrights for a handsome price. His finest poem 'The Deserted Village' was published in 1770 and was dedicated to Joshua Reynolds, another of Goldsmith's lifelong friend. Then in 1773 he triumphed with his second comedy, 'She stoops to Conquer'. The next year he died. He was buried in the temple, one the old old Inns of court, and his admirers created a monument to him in Westminster Abbey, bearing a Latin inscription composed by Dr. Johnson, whose generous support had meant so meant so much to his life.

Visit our website for more amazing content:

Comments

Top 10 Historical Sites in India To Visit.

The land of South Asia, the Indian subcontinent is home to one of the world's oldest and most influential civilizations. " India " in ancient times encompassed not subcontinent, including Pakistan and Bangladesh . From time immemorial, the Indian subcontinent appears to have provided an attractive habitat for human habitation. The south is effectively protected by the ancient and culturally isolated vast ocean, while the north is protected by the huge Himalayan mountain range, which also protects it from the Arctic winds and Central Asian air currents. . Only the northwest and northeast are accessible by land, and it was through these two regions that most of her early contact with the outside world took place. India is a vibrant country full of stunning architectural treasures, unforgettable scenery and a rich, colorful history waiting to be discovered. To inspire you to start exploring, here is a list of 11 incredible locations that you can discover right now. 1. Taj M

Ralph Waldo, Emerson : The Man of Letters

Emerson Ralph Waldo: (1803-1882) American essayist and poet Ralph Waldo Emerson was born in Boston. He was the child of eight generations of New England Unitarian ministers. Emerson duly studied theology at Harvard and was appointed pastor of the Boston Second Church. His first wife died in 1831 and he resigned his pastorate the next year to make the first of three extend mas Carlyle and William Wordsworth. It had a decisive effect on his development. He then returned to the United States and settled at concord in Massachusetts. He married there with Lydia Jackson in 1835 and began his career as writer and lecturer that gradually bought him fame. ed visits to Europe. He met there with men of the stamp of Samuel Coleridge, Tho Emerson is to be considered one of the major figures of the ‘American Renascence’ that flourished in the 1850s with Thoreau. Emerson’s anti-intellectualist participation of man with nature, proper to transcendentalism. Among his most importan

Ahmed, Deputy Nazir: The first Urdu Novelist or Shams-ul-Ulema

Nazir Ahmad Dehlvi: (1836-1910) Nazir Ahmad Dehlvi also known as Deputy Nazir Ahmad is a pioneer in many fields: he is the first Urdu novelist and also the first visionary who created a respectable storehouse of literature for women. He is also the person who visualized a manifesto for feminism, apart from translating the Indian Penal Code into Urdu called ' Taazeerat-e-Hind ' for the first time. This book was too well received both by the British administration and judiciary. Nazir Ahmad was born on December 06, 1936, in Bijnaur district of Uttar Pradesh, India. He received his early education from his father, 'Maulvi Saadat Ali', who was a teacher himself. After this, he joined Delhi’s Aurangabadi Madrasa where he was taught by Maulvi Abdul Khaliq. During his stay in Delhi, he used to live in a mosque located in Punjabi Katra. During those days, students had to collect their daily meals from different families in the locality. Nazir Ahmad also followed this exercise a

Historical Trivia

Search This Blog