Cowper

In Cowper, Goldwin Smith offers a lively and insightful literary biography of William Cowper, tracing the poet’s struggle, faith, and influence across an era of seismic change. Smith positions Cowper as the crucial bridge between the polished Augustan verse of Pope and the emotional force that fed into Wordsworth, Byron, and Shelley, exploring how a turn toward nature, sentiment, and evangelical religion reshaped English poetry. This audiobook surveys Cowper’s life from his Huntingdon beginnings and the formative Olney years with John Newton to the writing of The Task, moral satires, translations, and the intimate letters that reveal his mind. Smith blends critical judgment with historical context—showing Cowper’s role in the late-18th-century religious revival, his affinities with Goldsmith, Crabbe, and Burns, and his influence on the emerging Romantic sensibility—without sacrificing clarity or compassion. A compelling work of literary criticism and biography, Cowper is ideal for students of English poetry, lovers of Romantic precursors, and listeners curious about the interplay of faith and art in Georgian Britain. Listen for a Victorian critic’s authoritative perspective on one of England’s most affecting lyric voices.