Alfred Leslie Rowse, A Cornish Childhood

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First published in 1942, A.L. Rowse’s autobiography,

A Cornish Childhood

sold over a quarter of a million copies by 1989. Elected a Fellow at All Souls College, Oxford University at the age of twenty-one, Rowse wrote over one hundred scholarly books on Elizabethan England, but it was his autobiography that appealed to common readers and scholars alike, and which made him wealthy. It remains popular today, particularly among those with interests in Cornish history as well as autobiographical studies. Although the text provides a glimpse into the life of an irascible man who became the first Cornishman to take an Oxford scholarship, the real charm of the autobiography lies in the author’s portrayal of community life in the small Cornish coastal village of Trigonissey prior to 1914 and…

3215 words

Citation: Ockerstrom, Lolly. "A Cornish Childhood". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 30 July 2012 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=29622, accessed 19 March 2024.]

29622 A Cornish Childhood 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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