Mark Akenside

Adam Simon Rounce (University of Nottingham)
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Mark Akenside (1721-1770) was one of the most significant poets of the mid to late eighteenth century. His posthumous reputation is in some respects a model of how Victorian taste progressively forgot the poets of the preceding century. Born to a dissenting family in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne (his father was a butcher), Akenside was something of a prodigy, and the extent of his early education and talent is said to be considerable (another childhood incident supposedly had his foot being badly injured by a meat cleaver in his father’s shop, though this was probably a misapprehension of Akenside being born with a slightly shortened leg). Akenside attended Edinburgh University, decided to specialise in medicine, and went to get his degree from the University of Leiden in 1744, as was common for…

1666 words

Citation: Rounce, Adam Simon. "Mark Akenside". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 14 September 2016 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=5101, accessed 19 March 2024.]

5101 Mark Akenside 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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