A brief introduction about William Cowper, his works and his life.

3. Famous
Works
(1785
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(1799
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(1773 (1773

4. • Cowper struggled with mental illness throughout his life.
• He found refuge in his faith, and his poetry often reflects his deep Christian beliefs.
• He attended Westminster School and the University of Cambridge.
• He worked as a lawyer for a short time, but he was unhappy in that profession.
• He suffered from depression and anxiety for much of his life.
• He was a close friend of the poet John Newton.
• Cowper's poetry is characterized by its simplicity, directness, and humor.
• He was a master of the English language, and his poems are still enjoyed by
readers today.

5. • A Poem, in Six Books is a poem in blank verse by William Cowper
published in 1785.
• It is considered to be his supreme achievement, and is a meditation
on the blessings of nature, the retired life, and religious faith.
• It also contains attacks on slavery, blood sports, fashionable
frivolity, lukewarm clergy, and French despotism.
• The poem is divided into six books:
Book I: The Sofa
Book II: The Timepiece
Book III: The Garden
Book IV: The Winter Evening
Book V: The Winter Morning Walk
Book VI: The Winter Walk at Noon

6. • The beauty and benefits of nature
• The importance of simplicity and contentment
• The need for religious faith
• The evils of slavery and war
• The importance of social justice
• The power of the human imagination

8. ● Harold Child, "William Cowper", in Ward & Trent, et al. The Cambridge
History of English and American Literature. New York: GP Putnam's Sons,
1907–21.
● H. S. Milford, The Complete Poetical Works of William Cowper. London:
Oxford University Press, 1913.