The Minstrel; Or, The Progress Of Genius: And Other Poems. With An Additional Engr. Title

by James Beattie

The Minstrel; Or, The Progress Of And Other Poems. With An Additional Engr. Title by James Beattie presents Beattie’s principal poem, The Minstrel, along with a collection of companion poems, prefatory material, notes, and biographical notices. The Minstrel, an unfinished two-part poem, follows Edwin, a shepherd-turned-minstrel, tracing the growth of poetic genius from childhood to adulthood, emphasizing nature, moral sentiment, and the integration of philosophy and science as a cure for the perils of imagination and ambition. The volume also includes miscellaneous poems such as Odes, Elegies, The Hermit, The Triumph of Melancholy, Retirement, and several fables and satires (e.g., The Battle of the Pigmies and Cranes, The Wolf and the Shepherds), as well as epitaphs and occasional pieces. The edition is illustrated with engravings by Westall and contains critical prefaces and biographical notes about Beattie’s life, including his personal sorrows and death in August 1803. The Minstrel first appeared in 1770, with the second part published in 1774.

Genres: Poetry

220 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1784

About the author

James Beattie was a Scottish poet, moralist and philosopher. He was professor of Moral Philosophy and Logic at Marischal College, Aberdeen.

He became schoolmaster of the parish of Fordoun in 1753. He took the position of usher at the grammar-school of Aberdeen in 1758.

In 1760, he was, to his surprise, appointed Professor of Moral Philosophy at Marischal College (later part of Aberdeen University) as a result of the influence exerted by his close friend, Robert Arbuthnot of Haddo. In the following year he published a volume of poems, The Judgment of Paris (1765), which attracted attention. The two works, however, which brought him most fame were An Essay on the Nature and Immutability of Truth, and his poem of The Minstrel. The Essay, intended as an answer to David Hume, had great immediate success, and led to an introduction to the King, a pension of £200, and the degree of LL.D. from Oxford. The first book of The Minstrel was published in 1771 and the second in 1774.

Beattie was prominent in arguing against the institution of slavery, notably in his Essay on the Nature and Immutability of Truth (1770), and in Elements of Moral Science (1790 - 1793).

Reviews

[Michael Heath-Caldwell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Georgian period book of poetry with engravings by James Heath R.A.