For a man who lived most of his relatively short life in obscurity, Gerard Manley Hopkins holds a remarkably high place in modern appreciation of the literature of the Victorian age. Startlingly innovative and deeply expressive, Hopkins had to wait for the twentieth century Modernists to discover his verse and respond enthusiastically to his originality. Today his unique combination of fresh observation, distinctive cadence, penetrating self-analysis, and profound spirituality make him one of the most influential and distinctive voices in English poetry.
Hopkins was born 28 July 1844 at Stratford (Essex), the eldest son of Manley Hopkins, a marine insurance adjuster and amateur author and poet, and his wife Kate. The family, which eventually included eight children, was an actively
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Citation: Fennell, Jr., Frank. "Gerard Manley Hopkins". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 16 August 2004 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=2202, accessed 25 November 2024.]
