Background
William Cowper was born on 26 November 1731 in Berkhamsted. His mother was a descendant of the poet John Donne.
(William Cowper, converted under a heterodox but eloquent ...)
William Cowper, converted under a heterodox but eloquent early Methodist preacher, began a rocky spiritual journey which was to rise to great heights, yet, even to the end of his life, intermittently descended to abysmal depths of psychological torment and despair. Most of his poetry was written in rustic retreats to which he was forced by his persistent emotional fragility, and some of the best of it was written under the restorative pastoral counselling of ("Amazing Grace") John Newton. Yet even in the throes of his own despondency Cowper was able to write poems and hymns which then and since have been comforting to others. He thus remains about as fine an example as English literature affords of the "wounded healer." In this compact volume some of Cowper's best poetry-narrative, lyrical, personal, public-are gathered together with his confessional autobiography and part of his correspondence with Newton. David Lyle Jeffrey is Distinguished Professor of Literature and Humanities at Baylor University. His other books include English Spirituality in the Age of Wesley and English Spirituality in the Age of Wyclif (also available from Regent College Pubishing).
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1573832286/?tag=2022091-20
(This scarce book was first published in 1891. It comprise...)
This scarce book was first published in 1891. It comprises a collection of poems by the 18th century poet and hymnologist, William Cooper, who was one of the most popular poets of the age and can be considered as a forerunner to the Romantic poets. It is a n absorbing collection that will delight all poetry lovers. Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/144550846X/?tag=2022091-20
(These hymns were written in Olney, England and were origi...)
These hymns were written in Olney, England and were originally published in 1779. This collection includes William Cowper's 68 Olney hymns, and twelve other sacred works. All of Cowper's most loved hymns are found here: "God Moves in Mysterious Ways," "There Is a Fountain Filled with Blood," and "O for a Closer Walk with God." This edition also contains a brief biographical sketch of William Cowper by Rev. Henry Stebbing, A. M. (1799-1883). All Bible references are complete text. Please note: The Olney Hymns (1779) were originally published without music. This edition is uniform with the first edition and contains no music. In those days hymns were sung using many different tunes that had the same meter. Music wasnt commonly published in hymnbooks until well into the 1800s.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0981750591/?tag=2022091-20
(Leopold Classic Library is delighted to publish this clas...)
Leopold Classic Library is delighted to publish this classic book as part of our extensive collection. As part of our on-going commitment to delivering value to the reader, we have also provided you with a link to a website, where you may download a digital version of this work for free. Many of the books in our collection have been out of print for decades, and therefore have not been accessible to the general public. Whilst the books in this collection have not been hand curated, an aim of our publishing program is to facilitate rapid access to this vast reservoir of literature. As a result of this book being first published many decades ago, it may have occasional imperfections. These imperfections may include poor picture quality, blurred or missing text. While some of these imperfections may have appeared in the original work, others may have resulted from the scanning process that has been applied. However, our view is that this is a significant literary work, which deserves to be brought back into print after many decades. While some publishers have applied optical character recognition (OCR), this approach has its own drawbacks, which include formatting errors, misspelt words, or the presence of inappropriate characters. Our philosophy has been guided by a desire to provide the reader with an experience that is as close as possible to ownership of the original work. We hope that you will enjoy this wonderful classic book, and that the occasional imperfection that it might contain will not detract from the experience.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B014UMCLCS/?tag=2022091-20
(One of the most important poets of the eighteenth century...)
One of the most important poets of the eighteenth century, William Cowper’s nature poetry explored everyday life and scenes of the English countryside, establishing him as a forerunner of Romantic poetry. The Delphi Poets Series offers readers the works of literature's finest poets, with superior formatting. This volume presents the complete poetical works of William Cowper, with beautiful illustrations and the usual Delphi bonus material. (Version 1) * Beautifully illustrated with images relating to Cowper's life and works * The complete poetry, including rare posthumous works appearing in no other digital publications * Concise introductions to the poetry * Excellent formatting of the poems * Special chronological and alphabetical contents tables for the poetry * Easily locate the poems you want to read * Includes Cowper's translations of Homer’s epic poems * Features two bonus biographies - discover Cowper's literary life * Scholarly ordering of texts into chronological order and literary genres CONTENTS: The Poetry Collections TABLE TALK AND OTHER POEMS THE TASK AND OTHER POEMS MISCELLANEOUS POEMS OLNEY HYMNS TRANSLATIONS FROM MADAME DE LA MOTHE GUION TRANSLATIONS FROM THE LATIN CLASSICS TRANSLATIONS FROM VINCENT BOURNE EPIGRAMS TRANSLATED FROM THE LATIN OF OWEN TRANSLATIONS OF GREEK AND LATIN VERSES TRANSLATIONS FROM THE FABLES OF GAY TRANSLATIONS OF THE LATIN AND ITALIAN POEMS OF MILTON EPIGRAMS ITALIAN POEMS FRAGMENTS AND POSTHUMOUSLY PUBLISHED VERSES The Poems LIST OF POEMS IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER LIST OF POEMS IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER The Epic Poems THE ILIAD THE ODYSSEY The Biographies BRIEF LIFE OF WILLIAM COWPER by Francis Storr COWPER by Goldwin Smith
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MMT5L7E/?tag=2022091-20
William Cowper was born on 26 November 1731 in Berkhamsted. His mother was a descendant of the poet John Donne.
After his mother's death when he was six, Cowper was educated at Aldbury and Markyate Street near his home, and at the age of ten was sent to Westminster School, London.
His formal schooling ended in 1749; but until 1763, while engaged in a desultory reading of the law and living in the Temple, he continued studies of Greek, Latin, French, Italian, and English literature.
In collaboration with Newton, Cowper wrote numerous hymns. Cowper's most significant literary work was done in the last 2 decades of his life. In 1780-1781 he wrote a series of reflective essays in couplets. In 1782 he composed the immensely popular "John Gilpin's Ride, " in which he burlesques the heroic ballad.
In 1783 Cowper began his curious long poem The Task (published 1785), which begins with a mock-elevated disquisition on the historical evolution of the sofa from the humble three-legged stool (a lady had suggested the topic in response to Cowper's complaint that he lacked a subject for blank verse). It then treats a multitude of descriptive and reflective subjects and is probably Cowper's most typical poem. In it quiet meditation is mingled with an atmospheric description of simple rural life and placid natural scenes.
Cowper's translation of Homer (1784 - 1791) demonstrated his opposition to what he considered the artificial elevatedness of Alexander Pope's version. In 1799 Cowper wrote the somber poem "The Castaway; " like the earlier "Lines Supposed to Be Written by Alexander Selkirk" (published 1782), it is a study of human isolation and has poignant religious overtones. Cowper was one of the best and most prolific English letter writers. He also composed the texts of many well-known hymns, including "There Is a Fountain Filled with Blood, " "God Moves in a Mysterious Way, " and "Oh for a Closer Walk with God".
(William Cowper, converted under a heterodox but eloquent ...)
(One of the most important poets of the eighteenth century...)
(Leopold Classic Library is delighted to publish this clas...)
(These hymns were written in Olney, England and were origi...)
(This scarce book was first published in 1891. It comprise...)
(First published in 2004. Routledge is an imprint of Taylo...)
In 1763 Cowper suffered a complete nervous breakdown as a consequence of worry about an examination he was to take for a clerkship in the House of Lords. After several attempts at suicide he was committed to a sanatorium.
After recuperating, Cowper spent his life under the care of several friends and patrons, notably Mrs. Mary Unwin (a clergyman's widow), the evangelical clergyman John Newton (whose religious zeal probably did not aid Cowper's troubled mind), and Cowper's cousin Lady Hesketh.
His life after 1765 was one of rustic retirement, punctuated by severe breakdowns in 1773, 1787, and 1794. His intermittent mental breakdowns were generally characterized by severe religious gloom and often by a sense that he was irrevocably damned.
About 1753 William became engaged to his cousin, Theadora Cowper, but their marriage was prohibited by her family. A love affair with his cousin ended unhappily in 1756, largely because the girl's father was concerned over Cowper's mental stability.