Edward Lear

James Williams (University of York)
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How pleasant to know Mr Lear!Who has written such volumes of stuff!Some think him ill-tempered and queer,But a few think him pleasant enough.'How Pleasant to Know Mr Lear' (1879)

Edward Lear was born in North London, on 12 May 1812, the twentieth of twenty-one children of Ann Clark Skerrett and Jeremiah Lear, a London stockbroker. Jeremiah Lear was a prosperous Freeman of the City of London and a past master of the Fruiterers' Company; in 1816, however, in the financial trouble following the Napoleonic War, he fell a defaulter on the stock exchange, owing the large sum of £2150 11s 1d. Lear always upheld the family legends that his father became bankrupt, and that he served a short sentence at the King's Bench Prison. There is very little evidence for either claim, but the financial

3240 words

Citation: Williams, James. "Edward Lear". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 20 July 2004 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=2659, accessed 19 March 2024.]

2659 Edward Lear 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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