Thomas Gray “Poetry is thoughts that breathe, and words that burn.” – Thomas Gray
“The paths of glory lead but to the grave.” -Thomas Gray
❧Gray Early Years
Thomas Gray, a poet and literary scholar, was born on December 26, 1716 in London to Philip and Dorothy Gray. His mother gave birth to twelve children but Thomas was the only one who survived. In 1725, Dorothy separated from Philip and wither her own money sent her son to Eton College. For this reason, Thomas Gray says he is indebted to his mother for his education (Damrosch). Due to the fact that she sent him to Eton, he met his three best friends, Richard West (son of the lord chancellor of Ireland), Thomas Ashton (son of a school master) and Horace Walpole (youngest son of Sir Robert Walpole who was the prime minister). The boys formed a beautiful friendship and referred to themselves as the ‘quadruple alliance.’ They gave each other nicknames that indicated their common interest in the theater and French literature (Huber). Ashton was Almanzor from John Dryden’
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Thomas Gray
Born: December 26, 1716, London, England
Died: July 30, 1771 (aged 54), Cambridge, England
Notable Works: Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard
Thomas Gray (26 December 1716 – 30 July 1771) was an English poet, classical scholar and professor at Pembroke College, Cambridge, best known for his poem Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard, published in 1751.
While Gray is regarded as the foremost English-language poet of the mid-18th century, he was very self-critical and published only thirteen poems during his lifetime and refused the post of Poet Laureate in 1757.
He lived most of his life in Cambridge, and enjoyed travelling around Britain. He died in 1771 aged 54, after a short illness.
Thomas Gray – Early Life
Thomas Gray was born on December 26, 1716 in Cornhill, London. He was the fifth of 12 children of Philip and Dorothy Antrobus Gray, and the only one to survive infancy. His father, a scrivener, was violent and mentally unwell, causing his mother, who was a milliner, to leave him. Gray lived with his mother after his parents separated.
This biographical sketch is intended as a first general approach to the man and his works. The account is divided into three major parts: the early years (1716-1741), which includes Gray's childhood, his time at Eton College, his friendship with Ashton, West, and Walpole, his early years at Cambridge, and his Grand Tour; the middle years (1742-1758), which gives an account of Gray's early poems, his life after his return to Cambridge, the history of the "Elegy", and concludes with the publication of his Pindaric Odes; the later years (1759-1771), which contains Gray's life and studies from his Norse and Welsh odes to his final composition, his travels in several regions of Great Britain, as well as his later acquaintances. A brief conclusion at the end highlights Gray's achievements and poetic legacy. This account largely focuses on Gray's life in relation to his poetry, it touches only briefly on his other important and fruitful activities, namely his extensive scholarly work and his letter-writin