James Thomson

James Balakier (University of South Dakota)

Ed. by
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.3: Scottish Writing and Culture, 400-present.
Vol. editors: Kate Ash-Irisarri (University of Edinburgh), Daniel Cook (University of Dundee), Gina Lyle (University of York), J. Derrick McClure (University of Aberdeen), Andrew Radford (University of Glasgow)

Dates

Born 11 Sep 1700
Died 27 Aug 1748
Activity 1725-1748

Places

Born in Scotland
Active in Scotland

Activities

Primary

Poet

Resources

Thomson's Works

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James Thomson, the most popular Scottish poet of the eighteenth century, excelled at describing the drama of nature. He is best known for

The Seasons

, a didactic four-part poem on the seasonal cycle which combines empirical description of the natural world with belief in the workings of Divine Providence.

Thomson was born in 1700 in (probably) Ednam, Roxburghshire, near the Scottish boundary with England (known as the Border or Borders). His family moved that year to Southdean, another Border village, where his father Thomas, a Presbyterian minister, took charge of the parish. Thomson received a Scottish Calvinist up-bringing from his father, who went to the College of Edinburgh (which later became Edinburgh University), but who came from a humble family which included several gardeners.

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2134 words

Citation: Balakier, James. "James Thomson". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 17 August 2004 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=4389, accessed 22 November 2024.]

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