Francis Coventry
Francis Coventry was an English author born in July 1725 in Buckinghamshire, into an aristocratic family with notable trading ties. He received his education from tutors and at prestigious institutions, including Eton and Magdalene College, Cambridge, graduating in 1749. Soon after, he was ordained in the Church of England and took up a parish position in Edgeware, Middlesex. Despite his early death at the age of 28, Coventry made significant contributions to literature. His notable works include the poem "Penshurst," published in 1750, and his most acclaimed piece, "The History of Pompey the Little; or, The Life and Adventures of a Lap-Dog," released in 1751. This satirical novel, inspired by the work of Henry Fielding, critiques the superficial concerns of London's elite while showcasing Coventry's wit and humor. His writing reflects a keen observation of societal norms and a tendency to mock the frivolities of his contemporary aristocracy.
On this Page
Subject Terms
Francis Coventry
Fiction Writer
- Born: July 15, 1725
- Birthplace: Mill End, Buckinghamshire, England
- Died: January 1, 1754
- Place of death: England
Biography
Little is known about Francis Coventry’s early life. He was born in July, 1725, in Buckinghamshire, England into an aristocratic family with strong trading connections. His older brother was William, fifth earl of Coventry. Coventry received his early education from tutors before enrolling at the popular British gentlemen’s school, Eton, in 1742, as a teenager. After Eton, he was admitted to Magdalene College, Cambridge, in 1744, from which he graduated in 1749 after earning the high academic designation of second wrangler. Shortly thereafter, he was ordained into the Church of England and granted the living of the parish of Edgeware, Middlesex. He died at the age of twenty- eight, possibly from smallpox.
Although he didn’t leave much of an oeuvre, before his death Coventry earned himself a place in the history of the novel, although his first literary contribution was his topographical, historically significant poem, Penshurst (1750). His enormously popular 1751 The History of Pompey the Little; or, The Life and Adventures of a Lap-Dog, written in imitation (a common form of literary flattery in the eighteenth century) of famous Tom Jones author Henry Fielding, is redolent with humor and wit. In its day, it received high literary acclaim, going through three editions in one year, and remains Coventry’s most popular work. In this clever satire, the main character, simply referred to as The Gentleman, laughs softly at his eighteenth century world with occasional, and deserving, indignant outbursts.
Like Alexander Pope, in his mock-heroic world in The Rape of the Lock (1714), Coventry set out to mock the aristocratic lifestyle of wealthy Londoners who spent great amounts of time on trivial gossip while ignoring significant world events.