Christopher Smart, A Song to David

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At the end of January 1763 when Christopher Smart was liberated (he was never

released

as such) from Dr Potter’s madhouse in Bethnal Green, he lost no time in arranging for the publication of the astonishing amount of verse he had written during his previous seven years of confinement, and by the first week of April a signed quarto edition of

A Song To David

was being advertised. It was his finest work and ought to have established his reputation. Instead, the critical reception it was given ruined him.

The Critical Review

dismissed it as “a fine piece of ruins”. But it was

The Monthly Review

which did the lasting damage by starting off the story that “it was written when the Author was denied the use of pen, ink and paper, and was obliged to indent his lines with the end of a…

2145 words

Citation: Curry, Neil. "A Song to David". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 26 February 2008 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=6967, accessed 19 March 2024.]

6967 A Song to David 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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