John Hamilton Reynolds
John Hamilton Reynolds was an English poet and writer, born on September 9, 1794, in Shrewsbury, England. He began his career in the literary world after leaving school at a young age, first working as a clerk and then as a contributor to various journals. Reynolds achieved early recognition with his poetry, most notably with "Safie: an Eastern Tale" in 1814, which garnered admiration from Lord Byron. He became a prominent figure in the literary scene of his time, influencing notable writers like John Keats.
Despite his early successes, including the satirical work "Peter Bell: Lyrical Ballad," Reynolds faced financial difficulties that led him to pursue a law apprenticeship. His literary output diminished in the 1820s and 1830s, largely due to struggles with alcoholism. In the latter part of his life, he shifted focus away from writing to take on administrative roles, eventually retiring to the Isle of Wight, where he passed away on November 15, 1852. While Reynolds is often recognized for his creative imitative style rather than originality, his contributions to poetry and journalism left a notable mark on the literary landscape of his era.
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John Hamilton Reynolds
Poet
- Born: September 9, 1794
- Birthplace: Shrewsbury, England
- Died: November 15, 1852
- Place of death: Isle of Wright, England
Biography
John Hamilton Reynolds was born in Shrewsbury, England, on September 9, 1794, to George C. Reynolds, a schoolteacher, and Charlotte Cox. Reynolds grew up in Shrewsbury and London. In 1809 he quit his education at St. Paul’s School. The following year, he became a clerk in a newspaper office, leaving that job for a post at the Amicable Society for a Perpetual Assurance, where he worked for the next six years.
In 1814, Reynolds published several mildly successful poems. His first, Safie: an Eastern Tale, was an acknowledged imitation of Lord Byron’s The Giaour; the poem enjoyed brief popularity culminated by Byron’s own admiration. In same year, he published The Eden of Imagination: A Poem, which was modeled after Wordsworth’s An Evening Walk. Moreover, in 1814, he became a contributor of poetry to the journal The Inquirer, eventually becoming its poetry editor.
In 1815, Reynolds became a theater critic for John Scott’s liberal newspaper, The Champion; for the next two years, he contributed literary reviews, essays, and twenty- two poems to the publication. Reynolds also contributed to other journals such as the Repository of Arts, Literature, Fashion, the Gentleman’s Magazine, the Ladies’ Museum, and The Inquirer. By 1816, he was able to quit his position to become a full-time writer. In the same year his first collection of poetry, The Naiad: A Tale, with Other Poems was favorably reviewed.
Between the years of 1816 and 1820, Reynolds became established friends with John Keats. Reynolds’s poetry influenced Keats’s Endymion: A Poetic Romance (1818) and The Fall of the Hyperion: A Dream (1856). In 1817, Reynolds was forced to accept a law apprenticeship to Francis Fladgate because of a lack of financial security. Reynolds entered into an engagement to Eliza Powell Drewe from Exeter. He never returned to a full-time position as a writer.
In 1819 Reynolds published his most successful and famous work, Peter Bell: Lyrical Ballad, a satire of Wordsworth’s poem of the same title. It went through three editions in two months, ironically assisting Wordsworth’s own success. Reynolds’s literary success continued after his comic drama, One, Two, Three, Four, Five; by Advertisement, ran at the English Opera House for fifty consecutive nights.
In 1822, Reynolds qualified as a lawyer and married Drewe; they had one daughter who died at the age of ten. During the 1820’s and 1830’s, he published poetry, theatrical pieces, and a large amount of journalistic work in Charles Dilke’s Athenaeum. During this period Reynolds’s professional and literary output declined because of alcoholism. After declaring bankruptcy, Reynolds edited the New Sporting Monthly Magazine between 1838 and 1840. In 1847, he retired from London to live on the Isle of Wright, where he took a position as an assistant clerk. He died in his home on November 15, 1852.
Reynolds’s greatest artistic achievement was his superior talent for creative imitation rather than artistic originality.