William Gifford was an English Conservative satirist, critic, and editor. He is chiefly remembered for his editorship of the

Anti-Jacobin

and the

Quarterly Review

and his scathing satiric attacks on the Della Cruscan school of poetry. He also edited the important volume

The Poetry of the Anti-Jacobin

(1799). Born in Ashburton, Devon, in 1756, the story of Gifford’s early life is one of triumph over adversity, as recounted by the author himself in the preface to his popular translation of Juvenal (1802). His father Edward Gifford was a glazier and house painter but “fell a martyr” to drink and, according to Gifford, died of a “decayed and ruined constitution” (Keen, 62). His mother, Elizabeth Cain died a year later, “exhausted with anxiety”, leaving the thirteen-year old…

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Citation: O'Connell, Mary. "William Gifford". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 17 July 2009 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=1735, accessed 19 March 2024.]

1735 William Gifford 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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