Project Gutenberg 2004-08-01 Public domain in the USA. 74 De Quincey, Thomas 1785 1859 Quincey, Thomas de Quincy, Thomas de Kvinsi, Tomas de DeQuincey, Thomas Biographical Essays Reading ease score: 50.0 (College-level). Difficult to read. Shakespeare -- Pope -- Charles Lamb -- Goethe -- Schiller. Produced by Robert Prince, Juliet Sutherland, Charles Franks and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team "Biographical Essays" by Thomas De Quincey is a collection of critical essays produced in the early 19th century. This work examines the lives and influences of significant literary figures, initiating with an exploration of William Shakespeare, aimed at illuminating the complexities and contexts surrounding these historical icons. The opening of the essay focuses on William Shakespeare's life, discussing the scant details of his early years despite his monumental impact on literature. De Quincey reflects on the uncertainty surrounding the precise date and circumstances of Shakespeare's birth, introducing various theories regarding his time of baptism and the connection to his eventual fame. He further analyzes Shakespeare’s familial background, the challenges faced by his father, and the social dynamics of Stratford-upon-Avon, ultimately suggesting that these factors may have shaped Shakespeare's literary career. Through a blend of historical inquiry and literary critique, De Quincey's introductory exploration sets the tone for a deeper examination of Shakespeare's life and legacy. (This is an automatically generated summary.) en Pope, Alexander, 1688-1744 Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616 Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von, 1749-1832 Schiller, Friedrich, 1759-1805 Lamb, Charles, 1775-1834 PR Text Browsing: Biographies Browsing: Literature 523950 523811 2024-10-03T08:41:24.802536 2023-10-03T08:00:46.689836 text/html text/html 523943 523804 2024-10-03T08:41:25.080565 2023-10-03T08:00:46.876835 text/html text/html 280814 2024-10-03T08:41:33.310975 application/epub+zip 287477 2024-10-03T08:41:28.112529 application/epub+zip 268801 2024-10-03T08:41:26.911540 application/epub+zip 479990 2024-10-03T08:41:37.484955 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 454583 2024-10-03T08:41:32.579009 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 428434 2022-09-03T11:12:38.879636 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 502892 502804 2024-10-03T08:41:24.292523 2023-10-03T08:00:46.415835 text/plain; charset=us-ascii text/plain 497985 2020-12-29T14:43:06 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 195571 2020-12-29T14:43:06 text/plain; charset=us-ascii application/zip 19982 2024-10-03T08:41:37.610954 application/rdf+xml 13958 2024-10-03T08:41:27.449517 image/jpeg 3428 2024-10-03T08:41:27.179506 image/jpeg 276838 2024-10-03T08:41:25.128529 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia