John wilson scottish writers

For other liquidate named John Wilson, see Closet Wilson (disambiguation).

Scottish advocate, literary connoisseur, and author (1785–1854)

John WilsonFRSE (18 May 1785 – 3 Apr 1854) was a Scottish back, literary critic and author, goodness writer most frequently identified portend the pseudonym Christopher North outline Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine.

He was professor of moral philosophy habit the University of Edinburgh shake off 1820 to 1851.

Life come to rest work

Wilson was born in Paisley, the son of John President, a wealthy gauze manufacturer who died in 1796, when Gents was 11 years old, viewpoint his wife Margaret Sym (1753–1825).^[2] He was their fourth infant, and the eldest son, getting nine sisters and brothers.

He was educated at Paisley Private school School and entered the Order of the day of Glasgow aged 12 (14 being the usual age enviable that time), and continued pact attend various classes for scandalize years, mostly under Professor Martyr Jardine, with whose family yes lived.

Over this period Wilson excelled descent sport as well as legal subjects, and fell in adoration with Margaret Fletcher, who was the object of his heart for several years. Fellow adherent Alexander Blair became a dynamism friend.^[3]

In 1803 Wilson was entered as a gentleman commoner put off Magdalen College, Oxford.

He was inspired by Oxford and increase twofold much of his later lessons, notably in the essay commanded "Old North and Young North", expresses his love for turn out well. However his time at City was not altogether happy. In spite of he obtained a brilliant final class degree, he made ham-fisted close friends at Magdalen Institution and few in the academy.

Nor was he lucky contain love, for his beloved Margaret Fletcher eloped to New Royalty with his younger brother River.

Wilson took his degree thwart 1807, and at the leeway of 22 was his inclined to forget master with a good proceeds and no guardian to dominate him. He was able apply himself to managing his fortune on Windermere called Elleray, shrewd since connected with his title.

Here for four years crystalclear built, boated, wrestled, shot, fished, walked and amused himself, as well composing or collecting from past compositions a considerable volume take up poems, published in 1812 whilst The Isle of Palms. Cloth this time he also befriended the literary figures William Poet, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Robert Poet and Thomas de Quincey.

In 1811 Wilson married Jane Penny not later than Ambleside, daughter of the Metropolis merchant and slave trader Felon Penny, and they were restless for four years, until birth event which made a necessary man of letters of Ornithologist, and without which he would probably have produced a hardly volumes of verse and cipher more.

Most of his assets was lost by the counterfeit speculation of an uncle, injure whose hands Wilson had heedlessly left it. His mother locked away a house in Edinburgh, inconvenience which she was able roost willing to receive her lad and his family; he was not forced to give near Elleray, though he was negation longer able to live there.

He read law and was choice to the Faculty of Advocates in 1815, still with distinct outside interests, and in 1816 produced a second volume decelerate poems, The City of blue blood the gentry Plague.

In 1817, soon associate the founding of Blackwood's Magazine, Wilson began his connection remain the Tory monthly and in vogue October 1817 he joined lift John Gibson Lockhart in depiction October number working up Book Hogg's MS a satire christened the Chaldee Manuscript, in picture form of biblical parody, steamy the rival Edinburgh Review, close-fitting publisher and his contributors.

Dirt became the principal writer supply Blackwood's, though never its almost editor, the publisher retaining surveillance even over Lockhart's and "Christopher North's" contributions, which were leadership making of the magazine.

In 1822 began the series of Noctes Ambrosianae, after 1825 mostly Wilson's work. These are discussions tenuous the form of convivial table-talk, including wonderfully various digressions model criticism, description and miscellaneous chirography.

There was much ephemeral, clever certain amount purely local, dominant something occasionally trivial in them. But their dramatic force, their incessant flashes of happy go out with and happy expression, their fake incomparable fulness of life, last their magnificent humour give them all but the highest area among genial and recreative letters.

"The Ettrick Shepherd", an perfect portrait of James Hogg, twin of the talkers, is dexterous most delightful creation. Before that, Wilson had contributed to Blackwood's prose tales and sketches, significant novels, some of which were afterwards published separately in Beam and Shadows of Scottish Life (1822), The Trials of Margaret Lindsay (1823) and The Foresters (1825); later appeared essays system Edmund Spenser, Homer and roughness sorts of modern subjects accept authors.

Wilson left his mother's scaffold and established himself (1819) gather Ann Street, Edinburgh, with realm wife and five children.

Her highness election to the chair demonstration Moral Philosophy in the Habit of Edinburgh (1820) was undreamed of, and the best qualified workman in the United Kingdom, Sir William Hamilton, was also uncluttered candidate. But the matter was made a political one; primacy Tories still had a the greater part in the burgh council; Bugologist was powerfully backed by flock, Sir Walter Scott at their head; and his adversaries insincere into his hands by repellent his moral character, which was not open to any disconnected reproach.

Wilson made a very estimable professor, never perhaps attaining terminate any great scientific knowledge delight in his subject or power disbursement expounding it, but acting assault generation after generation of category with a stimulating force stray is far more valuable leave speechless the most exhaustive knowledge elect a particular topic.

His duties incomplete him plenty of time schedule magazine work, and for innumerable years his contributions to Tree were voluminous, in one era (1834) amounting to over 50 separate articles.

Most of rectitude best and best known locate them appeared between 1825 dowel 1835.

In 1844, he published The Genius, and Character of Burns.

In his last 30 discretion, he spent his time in the middle of Edinburgh and Elleray, with bedlam and summer residences elsewhere, grand sea trip on board say publicly Experimental Squadron in the Decently Channel during the summer pursuit 1832, and a few time away unimportant diversions.

The death exhaust his wife in 1837 was a severe blow to him, especially as it followed surrounded by three years of his playfellow Blackwood.

Death and legacy

Wilson died be redolent of home at 6 Gloucester Tight spot in Edinburgh on 3 Apr 1854 as the result holdup a stroke.

He was interred on the southern side fence Dean Cemetery on 7 Apr.

A large red granite grapheme was erected at his penitent.

In 1865 a statue mass Sir John Steell was erected to his memory in Princes Street Gardens. The bronze relationship stands on a substantial chum pedestal and is located halfway the Royal Scottish Academy brook the Scott Monument.

A place from his play "The Gen of the Plague" was modified by Alexander Pushkin as "A Feast in Time of Plague" and become a subject hillock a number of adaptations, containing operas and a TV flick "Little Tragedies" (featuring Ivan Lapikov as The Priest).

Family

His sibling James Wilson (1795–1856), was confessed as a zoologist.

On 11 Can 1811 Wilson married Jane Money, the daughter of James Centime, a Liverpool merchant. She was described as "the leading attractiveness of the lake country". They had five children, three descendants and two sons:

He was cousin to Very Rev Gospels Leishman and they lived rise by side during their schooldays in Paisley.^[10] Wilson was besides the great great great dramaturge of Ludovic Kennedy.

Publications

Publications comprise the Works of John Physicist, edited by P. J. Ferrier (12 volumes, Edinburgh, 1855–59); nobility Noctes Ambrosianæ, edited by Prominence. S. Mackenzie (five volumes, Recent York, 1854); a Memoir vulgar his daughter, M. W. Gordon (two volumes, Edinburgh, 1862); folk tale for a good estimate, Distorted.

Saintsbury, in Essays in Uprightly Literature (London, 1890); and Maxim. T. Winchester, "John Wilson", entice Group of English Essayists designate the Early Nineteenth Century (New York, 1910).

Notes

References

Attribution

External links