Delphi Complete Poetical Works of George Crabbe

by George Crabbe, Delphi Classics (Editor)

The last of the Augustan poets, following Dryden and Pope in the use of the heroic couplet, George Crabbe was an important literary figure of the early nineteenth century. Lord Byron famously described him as “nature’s sternest painter, yet the best.” Esteemed by the Romantics as a rebel against the genteel fancy of his day, Crabbe pleaded for the poet’s right to describe the commonplace realities and miseries of human life. He is best known for his early use of the realistic narrative form and his detailed descriptions of middle and working-class life, which is unsentimental in its portrayal. The Delphi Poets Series offers readers the works of literature’s finest poets, with superior formatting. This volume presents Crabbe’s complete poetical works, with related illustrations and the usual Delphi bonus material. (Version 1)* Beautifully illustrated with images relating to Crabbe’s life and works* Concise introduction to Crabbe’s life and poetry* Images of how the poetry books were first printed, giving your eReader a taste of the original texts* The Complete Poems, including rare Posthumous Tales* Poetry texts based on the authoritative Cambridge University Press 1905 edition* Excellent formatting* Special chronological and alphabetical contents tables for the poetry* Easily locate the poems you want to read* Includes Crabbe’s rare ‘Autobiography’, never digitised before* Special ‘Criticism’ section, with seven works evaluating Crabbe’s contribution to English poetry* Features three biographies, including Ainger’s seminal study — discover Crabbe’s literary life* Also includes Lockhart’s famous account of Sir Walter Scott and George Crabbe’s eventful first meeting* Ordering of texts into chronological order and literary Life and Poetry of George CrabbeBrief George Crabbe by Clement King ShorterComplete Poetical Works of George CrabbeThe PoemsList of Poems in Chronological OrderList of Poems in Alphabetical OrderThe AutobiographyAutobiographical Sketch (1816)The Criticism‘Nature's sternest Painter, yet the best’ (1809) by Lord ByronMr. Campbell and Mr. Crabbe (1825) by William HazlittCrabbe and Southey (1835) by Samuel Taylor ColeridgeCrabbe (1890) by George SaintsburyCrabbe (1890) by Leslie StephenCrabbe (1890) by George Edward WoodberryTo the Immortal Memory of George Crabbe (1907) by Clement King ShorterThe BiographiesMr. Crabbe in Castle Street (1837) by J. G. LockhartGeorge Crabbe (1900) by Leslie StephenEnglish Men of Crabbe (1903) by Alfred Ainger

2036 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 12, 2021

About the author

George Crabbe was an English poet, surgeon, and clergyman. He is best known for his early use of the realistic narrative form and his descriptions of middle and working-class life and people.

In the 1770s, Crabbe began his career as a doctor's apprentice, later becoming a surgeon. In 1780, he travelled to London to make a living as a poet. After encountering serious financial difficulty and being unable to have his work published, he wrote to the statesman and author Edmund Burke for assistance. Burke was impressed enough by Crabbe's poems to promise to help him in any way he could. The two became close friends and Burke helped Crabbe greatly both in his literary career and in building a role within the church.

Burke introduced Crabbe to the literary and artistic society of London, including Sir Joshua Reynolds and Samuel Johnson, who read The Village before its publication and made some minor changes. Burke secured Crabbe the important position of Chaplain to the Duke of Rutland. Crabbe served as a clergyman in various capacities for the rest of his life, with Burke's continued help in securing these positions. He developed friendships with many of the great literary men of his day, including Sir Walter Scott, whom he visited in Edinburgh, and William Wordsworth and some of his fellow Lake Poets, who frequently visited Crabbe as his guests.

Lord Byron described him as "nature's sternest painter, yet the best." Crabbe's poetry was predominantly in the form of heroic couplets, and has been described as unsentimental in its depiction of provincial life and society. The modern critic Frank Whitehead wrote that "Crabbe, in his verse tales in particular, is an important—indeed, a major—poet whose work has been and still is seriously undervalued." Crabbe's works include The Village (1783), Poems (1807), The Borough (1810), and his poetry collections Tales (1812) and Tales of the Hall (1819).