Henry David Thoreau Biography
Henry David Thoreau Biography by Dr. Ann Woodlief Henry David Thoreau was a complex man of many talents who worked hard to shape his craft and his life, seeing little difference between them. Born...
Category: Biography
Gerard Manley Hopkins: An Analytical Biography
This essay on the life and work of Gerard Manley Hopkins (1844-1889), English poet and priest, was first published in The Poets’ Chantry by Katherine Brégy (1912). It does not attempt to cover every aspect of Hopkins’...
George Orwell Timeline by Steven Kreis
George Orwell, 1903-1950 From The History Guide by Dr. Steven Kreis | Resources | Chronology | Select Bibliography | Resources George Orwell (The Chestnut Tree Cafe) George Orwell George Orwell (O. Dag) George Orwell (Petri Liukkonen)...
Robert Louis Stevenson Biography
Robert Louis Stevenson Biography By Richard Dury, from the RLS Website Life and Publications Summary Robert Lewis (later: “Louis”) Balfour Stevenson was born in Edinburgh on 13 November 1850. His father Thomas belonged to...
John Keats Biography (1911)
John Keats (1795 – 1821) was an English Romantic poet, often mentioned along with Lord Byron and Percy Bysshe Shelley.
Howard Pyle: Illustrator
American author and illustrator Howard Pyle studied art in Philadelphia with F. A. Van der Weilen, then began writing and illustrating his own stories.
Edward Lear Resources
Edward Lear Resources John Cousin tells us that Edward Lear (1812-1888) was an “artist and miscellaneous author [who was born] in London and settled in Rome as a landscape painter. He was an indefatigable...
Jonathan Swift Biography
This Swift biography paints a vivid portrait of the life and works of Jonathan Swift, an early British novelist. Introduction to Literature, Module 1.9.
Mark Twain Biography (1911)
American author Mark Twain (Samuel Langhorne Clemens) is best known for his humorous stories, many taking place on or near the great Mississippi River.
Washington Irving Biography
Washington Irving Biography Irving’s family Boyhood European travels Rising fame Love and poverty Tragedy, memorialized Literature as a profession Home at Sunnyside Minister to Spain Personal appearance and character End of life Sources Other...
Lord Byron Biography
Overview of Byron’s life Parents and birth Raised by his mother First love Pigots and poetry Out on his own Criticism and triumph House of Lords Travels across Europe Return to England “Childe Harold”...
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Biography
Family and boyhood Early career and travels A Harvard professor Evangeline Other important works Struck by tragedy Writing until the end Description of the man Longfellow’s poetry His character Sources Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Biography...
John Dryden Biography
John Dryden Biography Family and education Early adult life Prolific playwright Poet Laureate Poetry and politics Religious matters Reversal of fortunes Life overview Sources Family and education Poet, dramatist, and satirist John...
Charlotte Brontë Biography
The Life of Charlotte Brontë by Elizabeth Gaskell “Hand in hand they used to make their way to the glorious moors, which in after days they loved so passionately.” The Children Who Never Played...
Victor Hugo Biography
Victor Hugo Biography Man is neither master of his life nor of his fate. He can but offer to his fellowmen his efforts to diminish human suffering; he can but offer to God his...
Benjamin Franklin Biography (1911)
Benjamin Franklin Biography Family history and education Writing and printing career Helping his fellow man Fight against the Stamp Act Continental Congress Colonial diplomacy in France Making peace Franklin in person Life philosophy Printing...
James Russell Lowell Biography (1911)
Family history and childhood Early work and romance Literature, reform, and family life The Biglow Papers Family tragedies Teaching and traveling The Atlantic Monthly Work abroad End of life Overview of writings and influence...
Elizabeth Barrett Browning Biography (1911)
Family history and upbringing Meeting other poets Health troubles Praise and correspondence Browning’s courtship A secret wedding Published poetry Politics and posterity “God took her” Overview of married life and poetry Sources Family history...
Robert Browning Biography (1911)
Robert Browning Biography Family background Early career & personality First major poems (Paracelsus and Sordello) Dramatic works Expanding poetic repertoire Marriage Browning’s masterpiece: The Ring and the Book Growing fame Later writings Beliefs (religious...
G. K. Chesterton Resources Index
Chesterton, that “Colossal Genius” Gilbert Keith Chesterton (1874 – 1936), popularly known as G. K. Chesterton, was a prolific British writer, lay theologian, poet, dramatist, journalist, orator, literary and art critic, biographer, and Christian apologist. His published writings also include...
Historical Fiction: A List of Favorites
Reading historical fiction and biographies is one of the best ways to immerse in a time period and learn in a memorable way. Some of the best fiction I’ve ever read was written for...
Archibald Henderson’s George Bernard Shaw
George Bernard Shaw: His Life and Works, a Critical Biography by Archibald Henderson is an interesting biography which, while somewhat dated, includes a number of good photographs and a genealogical chart. You may find...
Virgil Biography
The Life of Vergil by Suetonius This public domain text of The Life of Virgil by C. Suetonius Tranquillus was originally published in the Loeb Classical Library in 1914. References to notes in the Loeb...
James Fenimore Cooper: Cambridge History
James Fenimore Cooper Cambridge History of American Literature (1917-1921), Book II, Chapter VI by Carl Van Doren James Fenimore Cooper: Youth, Naval Career Precaution The Spy The Pioneers The Pilot The Last of the...
Emily Brontë: A Biographical Sketch
Emily Jane Brontë 1818-1848 A Biographical Sketch by Sara Selby Emily Jane Brontë’s life, though short and tragic, had an overwhelming influence on her work. Marked by violent emotional upheavals, her childhood on the...
Bernard Shaw: a Brief Biography
George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) led a long and fascinating literary life. Here is a brief biography by Cary Mazer of the University of Pennsylvania.
Jules Verne at Home (1894 Interview)
Jules Verne at Home: His Own Account of His Life and Work Reported by R. H. Sherard in McClure’s Magazine, January 1894 Edited to HTML by Zvi Har’El “The great regret of my life is...
