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Thomas Gray ( December 26, 1716 - July 30, 1771), English poet, classical scholar, and professor of History at Cambridge University.
Thomas Gray was born in London, and lived with his mother after she left his abusive father. He was educated at Eton College, and became a Fellow first of Peterhouse and later of Pembroke College, Cambridge. While a student, he met Horace Walpole, whom he accompanied on the Grand TourIn the 18th century, the Grand Tour was a kind of education for wealthy British noblemen. It was a period of European travel which could last from a few months to 8 years. During the Tour, young men learned about the politics, culture, art and antiquities.
Gray spent most of his life as a scholarA scholar is either a student or someone who has achieved a "mastery" of some academic discipline. In British usage, a scholar is equally likely to be a schoolchild (usually a boy) or a learned person. In American usage, the "schoolchild" meaning is rare. in Cambridge, and only later in his life did he begin travelling again. Although he was one of the least productive poets (his collected works published during his lifetime amount to less than 1,000 lines), he was, besides William CollinsWilliam Collins ( 1721 1759), English poet, was educated at Winchester and Oxford, moved to London in the 1740s and spent the last years of his life in Chichester. Second in influence only to Thomas Gray, he was an important poet of the middle decades of ( 1721Events Pope Innocent XIII becomes pope Johann Sebastian Bach composes the Brandenburg Concertos April 4 Robert Walpole becomes the first prime minister of Britain September 10 Treaty of Nystad is signed, bringing an end to the Great Northern War November - 1759Events January 11 In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the first American life insurance company is incorporated. January 13 The Tavora family is executed following the accusation of attempted regicide on Joseph I of Portugal January 15 The British Museum opens), the predominant poetic figure of the middle decades of the 18th century17th century 18th century 19th century more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 18th century refers to the century that lasted from 1701- 1800; however, historians will sometimes specifically refer to the 18th Century as 1715- 89,. In 1757Events March 14 On-board the HMS Monarch Admiral John Byng is executed by firing squad for neglecting his duty. June 23 Indian Mutiny: Battle of Plassey 3000 British troops under Robert Clive defeat a 50,000 strong Indian army under Siraj-ud-Dawlah at Pla, he was offered the post of Poet LaureatePoet Laureate is a poet officially appointed by a government and often expected to compose poems for state occasions and other government events. In the United Kingdom, it has over the centuries come to be the title of the official poet of the British mon, which he refused. In 1768 he succeeded Lawrence Brockett as Regis Professor of History at Cambridge, a sinecure.
Gray's "Elegy Written in a Country Church-yard" ( 1751), believed to have been written in the churchyard of Stoke Poges, Buckinghamshire, has become a lasting contribution to the English heritage. It is still one of the most popular and most frequently quoted poems in the English language; before the battle of the Plains of Abraham, British General James Wolfe is said to have recited it to his officers, adding, "Gentlemen, I would rather have written that poem than take Quebec tomorrow."
Gray combined traditional forms and poetic diction with new topics and modes of expression and may thus be considered as a classically focussed precursor of the romantic revival.
The Elegy was recognized immediately for its beauty and skill, and the Churchyard Poets are so named because they wrote in the shadow of Gray's great poem. Gray also wrote light verse, such as Lines Written upon the Death of a Favorite Cat, where he offers up the moral that his cat (who died trying to fish goldfish out of a bowl) had to learn that "not all that glisters is gold."
Gray's personal life was tinged with scandal. While contemporaries knew of his sexual preference, there were generally no objections raised about it. However, twice Gray had trouble for dalliances with students. In one case, the student was reported to have been molested. In another, the student's break-up with Gray caused a scene.
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