Journal of Undergraduate Research
Keywords
Henry James Pye, poet laureate, English literature
College
Humanities
Department
English
Abstract
Henry James Pye, poet laureate from 1790 to 1813, occupies a unique position in English literature. In the half dozen or so published retrospectives of the lives and works of the poets laureate, he is consistently called the worst poet ever to hold the office. Had he not been ridiculed by so many of his famous contemporaries—with Lord Byron and Robert Southey among his detractors—his name would probably have been forgotten all together. Byron called Pye “eminently respectable in everything but his poetry” (Hamilton 203). Southey, in a moment of self-deprecation, proclaimed, “I have been rhyming as doggedly and dully as if my name had been Henry James Pye” (Gray 217).
Recommended Citation
Johnson, Sean and Howe, Dr. Susan
(2013)
"A Slice of Pye: The Unique Position of Henry James Pye in English Literature,"
Journal of Undergraduate Research: Vol. 2013:
Iss.
1, Article 730.
Available at:
https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/jur/vol2013/iss1/730