John Denham, Cooper's Hill

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Sir John Denham’s

Cooper’s Hill

, first published in 1642, is little read today, but in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries it was greatly admired. In 1664 Dryden praised the “majesty of the style”, saying that it “ever will be the exact standard of good writing”. In 1713 Pope, in his poem

Windsor-Forest

, echoed Dryden’s praise, referring to “majestic Denham”, and proclaiming that “On Cooper’s Hill eternal Wreaths shall grow,/ While lasts the Mountain, or while Thames shall flow” (265-6). Later in the century, in his

Life of Denham

, 1779, Dr Johnson claimed that:

Cooper’s Hill

is the work that confers upon him the rank and dignity of an original author. He seems to have been, at least among us, the author of a species of composition that may be denominated

3266 words

Citation: Gordon, Ian. "Cooper's Hill". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 16 April 2007 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=21637, accessed 19 March 2024.]

21637 Cooper's Hill 3 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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