Richard Brinsley Sheridan

Frank Donoghue (Ohio State University)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.05: English Writing and Culture from the Glorious Revolution to the French Revolution, 1689-1789.
Vol. editors: Paul Baines (University of Liverpool), Daniel Cook (University of Dundee), Pat Rogers (University of South Florida), Nicholas Seager (University of Keele)

Dates

Born 30 Oct 1751
Died 7 Jul 1816
Activity 1773-1799

Places

Born in Ireland, Republic of (Eire)
Active in England

Activities

Primary

Playwright / Dramatist
Politician

Resources

Sheridan's Works

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Richard Brinsley Sheridan was born in Dublin in September 1751, and was baptized on November 4th. His parents were Thomas and Frances Sheridan, and grew up in what would soon become a celebrated literary family. His grandfather, Dr Thomas Sheridan (1687-1738) had been a school teacher and close friend of Jonathan Swift, twenty years his senior, so the family already considered themselves well connected in Irish letters. Richard's father, Thomas Sheridan (1719-1788), was the author of a controversial but influential

Lectures on Elocution

which he presented around Britain during a tour in 1762. Richard's mother Frances wrote several popular novels, among them

The Memoirs of Sidney Buddulph

(1761). Following the Sheridans move to London in the 1760s, Richard Brinsley Sheridan was educated at…

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2624 words

Citation: Donoghue, Frank. "Richard Brinsley Sheridan". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 09 September 2004 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=4055, accessed 23 November 2024.]

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