William Cobbett, A Grammar of the English Language

Robert Clark (The Literary Encyclopedia)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.06: English Writing and Culture of the Romantic Period, 1789-1837.
Vol. editors: Daniel Cook (University of Dundee), Nicole Kennedy (University of Newcastle), Daniel Robinson (Widener University), Emily Rohrbach (University of Durham)

Domains

Grammar

Dates

First circulation or publication 1818

Places

England (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Manual/ Textbook

Resources

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Recommended Reading

William Cobbett’s

Grammar of the English Language

, first published in New York and London in 1818, was among the most popular works of this very popular author, selling 55,000 copies by 1825 and 100,000 copies by 1829 (Ingrams, 154). It was reprinted many times in the nineteenth century, had three British editions in the twentieth (1906, 1931 and 1958), was frequently plagiarized, and even translated into German (Spater, II, 372).

The work opens with a dedication to “Her most Gracious Majesty Queen Caroline”, aligning Cobbett and this work with the opposition to the Prince Regent, whose supporters he castigates for their “absence of knowledge” and “poverty of genius”. Cobbett substantiates these charges in the “Six Lessons” with which the book ends — six precise

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1321 words

Citation: Clark, Robert. "A Grammar of the English Language". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 08 May 2025 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=22960, accessed 13 May 2025.]

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