Talk:William Cowper

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Date of birth[edit]

There have been three different dates of birth assigned to Cowpers thus far in this article's history:

26 November — original, from 203.35.82.3 (talk · contribs)
15 November — from RickK
20 November — from MollyTheCat

None of these editors cited their sources, but the supplied 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica link provides the following:

COWPER, WILLIAM (1731-1800), English poet, was born in the rectory (now rebuilt) of Great Berkhampstead, Hertfordshire, on the 26th of November (O.S. x5th) [sic] 1731…

Assuming the "x5th" is an uncorrected scan error for "15th", this suggests that the date is 15 November Old Style (Julian) and 26 November New Style (Gregorian). I don't know where the 20th came from. I've updated the article to reflect the 2 sourced dates. ~ Jeff Q (talk) 10:23, 13 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The 15th is correct, I checked it in the DNB76.208.20.54 (talk) —Preceding comment was added at 03:36, 6 December 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Some extras..[edit]

Oughtn't there to be something about William Cowper's role in popular culture? For instance, heroine Fanny Price in the book Mansfield Park oft quotes from Cowper and finds sympathy in his sensitivity to nature and God; and Marianne Dashwood in Sense and Sensibility delights in Cowper, crying, "...if he is not to be animated by Copwer!..." There are probably much more references to him in other books, tho' I don't know of many. Any ideas? Classical Esther (talk) 07:41, 10 January 2010 (UTC)[reply]

John Gilpin[edit]

Did anyone besides G. K. Chesterton ever say that William Cowper was nearly saved by John Gilpin? If so, were they doing more than quoting from GKC? I read that one line in this article and thought him being blatantly quoted without citation from chapter 2 of "Orthodoxy":

"... only one great English poet went mad, Cowper. .... He was damned by John Calvin; he was almost saved by John Gilpin."

Should the sentence be modified to mention GKC? Should at least a citation to Orthodoxy be added, or is it the case that among poetic literati this is such a common opinion as not to require further comment? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 208.81.212.224 (talk) 18:02, 12 August 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Three[edit]

At first, three suicide attempts are mentioned, then one. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.183.203.240 (talk) 11:07, 14 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]

External links modified[edit]

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