Patronage, Punch-Ups, and Polite Correspondence: The Radical Background of James Woodhouse’s Early Poetry

Bridgen, Adam J.

Abstract

In this essay, Adam Bridgen argues that the oft-condemned “sycophancy” of James Woodhouse’s early poetry is a misapprehension that overlooks the emergence of his evangelical, egalitarian beliefs in the mid-1760s. Reconsidering the letters between Woodhouse and his patrons reveals not only the influential friendships he cultivated as a plebeian poet but also the class prejudices he continued to encounter and resist, often forcefully. Although he conformed to a humble self-portrayal in his 1764 and 1766 Poems, Woodhouse’s subversion of praise allowed him to criticize as well as commend elite behavior; viewing benevolence as a Christian duty faithful to the more equal society that God had intended, he praised patronage, in fact, for its leveling potential.

Citation

Bridgen, A. J. (2017). Patronage, Punch-Ups, and Polite Correspondence: The Radical Background of James Woodhouse’s Early Poetry. Huntington Library Quarterly, 80(1), 99-134. https://doi.org/10.1353/hlq.2017.0004

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jan 2, 2017
• Online Publication Date: Mar 22, 2017
• Publication Date: 2017-03
• Deposit Date: May 31, 2024
• Journal: Huntington Library Quarterly
• Print ISSN: 0018-7895
• Electronic ISSN: 1544-399X
• Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press (Penn Press)
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 80
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 99-134
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1353/hlq.2017.0004
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/2468567