First published in 1980, Thomas Gray is a comprehensive biography of Thomas Gray together with a selection of his letters, which reveal his character clearly, and a critical reassessment of his poems. The author’s intention is to place the man and the poet in a truer focus than has any previous writer.
As any critic of Gray must, the author seeks answers to various questions—why did Gray, while enjoying an independent income and the comfort of rooms in Cambridge colleges, publish so little? Was Gray the delicate poet and fastidious scholar many of his contemporaries believed? Or was he, as Dr Johnson asserted, ‘dull in conversation…dull everywhere, dull in a new kind of way? What is the value of Gray’s literary output? Why has he remained well known by name? Why is the Churchyard Elegy one of the most celebrated poems in the language? Why did Gray refuse the offer of appointment as Poet Laureate; and yet actively seek the Chair of Modern History at Cambridge?
This book will be a valuable read for students and researchers of English literature and general readers interested in the topic.