In the pantheon of American Romantic poetry, few figures burn as brightly—or as briefly—as Edward Coote Pinkney. Born into privilege on October 1, 1802, in London, England, and dying in poverty on April 11, 1828, in Baltimore, Maryland, Pinkney's twenty-five years encompassed a lifetime of passion, rebellion, literary brilliance, and ultimately, tragic unfulfillment. His story reads like a cautionary tale of artistic…
“The undersigned informs honorable men that he has found him unpossessed of courage to make satisfaction for the insolence of his folly. Saying thus much, the undersigned commits the craven to his infamy.”
Neighbourhood:
American Poets, Death & Mortality, Love Poets, Romantic Poets
Emotional landscape: Tenderness, Longing, Wonder
William Makepeace Thackeray was born on 18 July 1811 in Calcutta, British India, into a family whose comfort and status were closely connected to the expanding machinery of the East India Company. His father, Richmond Thackeray, was a civil servant and collector of revenue; his mother, Anne Becher Thackeray, came from a socially ambitious Anglo-Indian family. Although Thackeray would become one of the great interpret…
“The world is a looking-glass and gives back to every man the reflection of his own face.”
Neighbourhood:
Light Verse Poets, Satirical Poets, Social Justice Poets, Victorian Poets
Emotional landscape: Tenderness, Despair, Sorrow
