William John Courthope

Background

William John Courthope was the son of rector of South Mailing, Essex, was born on the 17th of July 1842.

Education

From Harrow school William John Courthope went to New College, Oxford; took first-classes in classical " moderations " and " greats "; and won the Newdigate prize for poetry (1864) and the Chancellor's English essay (1868).

Career

William John Courthope seemed destined for distinction as a poet, his volume of Ludibria Lunae (1869) being followed in 1870 by the remarkably fine Paradise of Birds.

Apart from many contributions to the higher journalism, his literary career is associated mainly with his continuation of the edition of Pope's works, begun by Whitwell Elwin (1816 - 1900), which appeared in ten volumes from 1871- 1889; his life of Addison (Men of Letters series, 1882); his Liberal Movement-in English Literature (1885); and his tenure of the professorship of Poetry at Oxford (1895 - 1001), which resulted in his elaborate History of English Poetry (the first volume appearing in 1895), and his Life in Poetry (1901).

Achievements

• William John Courthope deals with the history of English poetry as a whole, and in its unity as a result of the national spirit and thought in succeeding ages, and attempts to bring the great poets into relation with this. In 1887 he was appointed a civil service commissioner, being first commissioner in 1892, and being made a C. B. He was made an honorary fellow of his old college at Oxford in 1896, and was given the honorary degrees of D. Litt. by Durham in 1895 and of LL. D. by Edinburgh University in 1898.

Works

More photos

• book

  • A History of English Poetry Volume 2(Hardback) - 2015 Edition

    (New)

  • The Paradise of Birds, an Old Extravaganza in a Modern Dress(Hardback) - 2016 Edition

    (New)

Connections

William John Courthope was merried to Mary, they had a daughter.

dauther:

Katharine Courthope