1
10
2
-
https://gomatos.wrlc.org/files/original/871c84bc7e4cbb2025cc4a1f0c851a75.jpg
7ac59dae518202655ebd1755ddaf2ec7
https://gomatos.wrlc.org/files/original/7b4833e5e7fa813c2a1aa6b88ff6053a.jpg
b1ef6430115db327d8af10b00f298e26
https://gomatos.wrlc.org/files/original/35e9e263a89ac06fc47877def1f1956e.jpg
9ad83cba681b1b874d16b109056a15cd
https://gomatos.wrlc.org/files/original/5f821971a72f4b9f6fc21c924ce6663d.jpg
8415d3cd57e1731b3417c1d9b8dacc84
https://gomatos.wrlc.org/files/original/e322a6e064aeeac019a75bd178b92ef6.jpg
bd5e3df05bdaf31a4f39f4d6b2bfe515
https://gomatos.wrlc.org/files/original/01d71fbd91d046c1e2983a4a05aace99.jpg
33fcd0dc4e5c04c2de67bbbd546261ed
https://gomatos.wrlc.org/files/original/4cae09012117b79601d97d72c0ba2147.jpg
6dab12843d53dc57f02d685b2671c6cc
https://gomatos.wrlc.org/files/original/36fbd439e8aa1f8cf5164e13cb8d3514.jpg
a732076f181036dac44ea8e6fb5c4c55
https://gomatos.wrlc.org/files/original/d6e3d31e1c99ef415c75a24b7853fe79.jpg
69f2ed5e43dfb98e07b1c667caa6b76b
https://gomatos.wrlc.org/files/original/1a465a6a95e383491127e5ba8ba1816c.jpg
39c82bffccf3d4d5c98c71dcb5a1573c
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Poetry
Description
An account of the resource
The Gomatos Collection has a varied selection of poetry, ranging from single-author works to anthologies compiled for the purposes of education or entertainment.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Fables
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
London : printed for J. Tonson and J. Watts
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
194 p. : ill. ; 21 cm
Language
A language of the resource
Old English
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
OCLC : (OCoLC)642407561
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Gay, John, 1685-1732.
Illustrator: William Kent (1685- 1748) and John Wootton (1682- 1764)
Book Binder:
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1728
Description
An account of the resource
As described by the <em>Oxford English Dictionary</em>, a fable is “a short story devised to convey some useful lesson" and especially "one in which animals or inanimate things are the speakers or actors.” The dictionary then dates the word's first appearance in 1340 in Kentish, an English dialect. William R. Wray states in his book <em>The English Fable</em> that “animal fables originally began in the middle of the eighteenth century” and were a new storytelling format brought to the country after the English Civil Wars catalyzed a separation from Georgian culture (<em>The English Fable</em>, Lewis). As a result, animal fables then spread to all aspects of English culture. The fable became such a popular genre that it initiated a change in Brittan’s academic literary circles. It became the standard for textbooks and spread widely to scholars all throughout England. At the time, there was already a significant evolution of literature happening in England and the country became the leading developer of the prosaic voice through the emerging form of the novel. In fact, the Augustan age, which took place from around 1700 to 1750, was praised as the “Golden Age of Latin literature” by the <em>Encyclopedia Britannica</em>. The time period Gay lived in was likely as prolific as it was because of the influx of writing genres, such as the Fable, coupled with the widespread availability of the printing press. This combination afforded writers the ability to contribute to the literary culture in a new way. As an important contribution to such a time, Gay’s <em>Fables</em> will forever be held as a noteworthy piece of contemporary eighteenth-century Augustan children's literature. <br /><br /><em>Fables</em> by John Gay was first published in 1727; Marymount University’s Gomatos collection has the 1728 second edition of volume one. Marymount’s ninety-four-page hardcover copy of <em>Fables</em> contains one introductory poem followed by fifty short fables, each with an illustration at the header. The <em>Fables</em> are written in octosyllabic meter with rhyming couplets throughout, enforcing the poems' appeal to adolescent sensibilities. The illustrations in this text were hand carved into copper printing plates designed by William Kent, a distinguished architect, and John Wootton, a famous equestrian and landscape painter and then later engraved into the book by Fourdrinier, Baron, or Van der Gucht. Kent’s etchings can also be seen in Alexander Pope’s <em>The Dunciad</em>, while Wootton’s art is more commonly known to illustrate Shakespeare’s plays. Kent and Wootton were widely popular British artist of the time and members of an elite social circle belonging to The Royal Academy of Arts. The Royal Academy was at the center of English enlightenment for eighteenth-century artists, poets and intellectuals alike. It was a network that connected the acclaimed contemporary writers of the day such as Jonathan Swift, Alexander Pope, and John Gay, who was strongly influenced by the community of satirical writers who went by the alias Scriblerus. Gay was so influenced by his social circles that within the first few pages of <em>Fables</em> lies a dedication to William Augustus, The Duke of Cumberland. <br /><br />Gay’s work was also largely inspired by classical works such as the famous fables of Aesop. Gay’s fables are considered to be Aesopian, which according to The Oxford English Dictionary, is “a style or language that has hidden or ambiguous meaning, esp. as a device to disguise dissident political writing in allegorical form… so [as to] avoid official censorship.” Gay’s fables seems to do exactly this through his humorously representative titles that anthropomorphise the animals and inanimate objects of Gay’s imagination. Because these fables were meant for children, each tale contains a moral to learn from at the end. This is where Gay uses the form of an Aesopian fable to inserts his own criticism of modern English values with morals like ‘flattery can only get you so far’, and a warning to ‘take even the works of esteemed scholars with a grain of salt’. For example In Fable V, "The Wild Boar and the Ram," the ram in the end essentially proclaims ‘what goes around comes around’ to the taunting boar in the verse “Know, those who violence pursues, / Give to themselves the vengeance due” (Fables 19). The entire book is filled with such cautionary tales suiting paired with rich illustrations of the English countryside and a rhyme scheme that one can’t help but follow. <br /><br />Gay was a dramatist most known for <em>The Beggar's Opera</em> and his poem, <em>Trivia, or The Art of Walking the Streets of London</em>. These works, along with <em>Fables, </em>fall under the genre of satire, a key element of the Augustan age that characterized literature of the period. According to the Poetry Foundation, <em>Fables</em> was “written to win the favor of specific members of the court." As Gay’s dedication to the six-year-old Duke exposes in an introduction that claims Fables was “invented for his amusement." It is obvious that Gay relied on various nobles, including The Earl of Bath and others for support. Considering that patronage was Gay’s means to continue his literary pursuits, it is not surprising that he would rub elbows with the noble. However, despite his need to accommodate the aristocracy, Gay’s work continually subverts the monarchy’s authority by mocking their traditional customs and practices. In <em>Fables</em>, Gay uses imaginary animals to express controversial opinions and persuade readers to disagree with popular opinion. His work provides social commentary on the politics of the time, particularly the role of the crown. Gay was considered to be a controversial writer namely because his play <em>Polly</em>, the sequel to <em>The Beggar's Opera</em>, was banned by the king, which naturally only ignited public interest. To fuel the production of more rebellious writings, Scriblerus, the above-mentioned band of satirists, encouraged each other to undermine social constructs by focusing their work on disrupting conforms. <br /><br /><strong>Further Reading</strong><br /><br />Lewis, Jayne Elizabeth. <em>The English Fable : Aesop and Literary Culture, 1651-1740.</em> Cambridge University Press, 1996. <br /><br />Gay, John, and Faber, G. C.. <em>The Poetical Works of John Gay, Including “Polly”, “The Beggar”s Opera’ and Selections from the Other Dramatic Work</em>. Oxford University Press, H. Milford, 1926. <br /><br />Nokes, David. J<em>ohn Gay, A Profession of Friendship</em>. Oxford University Press, 1995.
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Alnajem, Nouf
McGale, Maeve
Ramos, Elizabeth
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Document, book
1685-1732
Aesops Fables
Augustan Literature
Childrens Literature
English poetry --Middle English
Fables
Gamatos Collection
John Gay
Poetry
Satire
William Augustus
-
https://gomatos.wrlc.org/files/original/b51652adb38a42e9aa7016dcc752f858.jpg
d763e5feb7099bfdff2b47ad4ef1247b
https://gomatos.wrlc.org/files/original/333fa8510a395a6206572fb7ad50ac4d.jpg
92a66a8dd1a3db87546cf78117859a4c
https://gomatos.wrlc.org/files/original/2e8986bfd60515c6899ab5e63de024dc.jpg
725d3ad07468062807290bdb625b7021
https://gomatos.wrlc.org/files/original/52e82bc2faacff4668c330d14a332530.jpg
f5ccb052dc3d23f0f33c468f7466e0a1
https://gomatos.wrlc.org/files/original/6837081bb7d4b433baea9e827b04bf5c.jpg
aa54b79895349a6670e31fec80accecb
https://gomatos.wrlc.org/files/original/aa5dc2a6497f70e053912f0affe82403.jpg
03eb4c263da03a859f9a8a975473a434
https://gomatos.wrlc.org/files/original/4cd08e89afc5fd86ed688210c775971e.jpg
4efdaaa143a272f084579d6a4fb709f3
https://gomatos.wrlc.org/files/original/2569888b63d4f4df2dfaecceaf2aa5dd.jpg
61b300b5b2b6df227d76e0e9d1f418cb
https://gomatos.wrlc.org/files/original/9a3a6677c0de1c8785c3ffacacbf899a.jpg
24fbeabb2e772cd1de8749701b640113
https://gomatos.wrlc.org/files/original/d49976d49b39950a5c48958bf2bd438a.jpg
4aed98ed245fb5b7ba4be4f9990bf1e8
https://gomatos.wrlc.org/files/original/68e76ac58fdba77893e85d709ecbf20c.jpg
b330b857ed9d06c09a1ec28869f92bd2
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Poetry
Description
An account of the resource
The Gomatos Collection has a varied selection of poetry, ranging from single-author works to anthologies compiled for the purposes of education or entertainment.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Specimens of the early English poets: to which is prefixed an Historical sketch of the rise and progress of the English poetry and language / [edited] by George Ellis
Description
An account of the resource
Published in 1803, George Ellis’ edited collection of poems reflects his cultural identity in that he grouped the poems by English monarchic reign. The collection of poems in Volume II is organized according to these four monarchs: Henry VIII, (which the book notes is “continued”, possibly pointing to the previous volume containing works produced during his reign) Edward VI, Queen Mary, and Queen Elizabeth. Queen Elizabeth’s section contains the most poets and poetry because she reigned for the longest period of time. If grouping poems by monarch rather than by year isn’t interesting enough, the editor used another peculiar method of organizing the poems within each monarch’s reign. They are neither organized alphabetically nor chronologically. For example, In Queen Elizabeth’s section, Raleigh’s work precedes Marlowe’s. This is neither organized alphabetically nor a chronologically. Perhaps the editor ordered them this way because of the importance of the poet to the monarch in power when the poet published his works. Perhaps the editor placed them in this order according to his own predilections. Each of the four monarchic-ordered sections begins with a historical description of that monarch’s reign. Each subsection, by poet, also begins with a historical description of the poet. What is interesting about Christopher Marlowe’s introduction is the fact that it describes his death, but not his murderer, Ingram Frizer. Similarly, the introductions admit a lack of information in certain areas, as made evident by the editor assuming the year of Marlowe’s birth. Similarly, the editor claims Marlowe died before 1593, when in fact he died that year (David 527). <br /><br />The volume pictured here is volume II. The inside of the front and back covers, the first page, the last page, and the outside edges of each page (visible when the book is closed) are decorated with overlayed spots of colorful paint. These designs appear to be depictions of the night sky. The book’s covering is made of calfskin and is embossed according to a rectangular design, including a rectangular framing of gold tooling. The binding is ribbed; between these ribs are what appear to be floral decorations and patterns etched into the leather.<br /><br />George Ellis, Esq., 1753-1815, was a Jamaican born poet, prose writer, editor, antiquary, and member of the English parliament. Also known as Sir Gregory Gander. Held a long-standing correspondence with Scottish poet, Sir Walter Scott (“Ellis, George, 1753-1815”). <br /><br />Further Reading:<br />Ellis, George, Esq. “Bath: Its Beauties, and Amusements (1777).” <em>Proquest Literature Online</em>. 1992. http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl?ctx_ver=Z39.88-2003&xri:pqil:res_ver=0.2&res_id=xri:lion&rft_id=xri:lion:ft:po:Z000346607:0. Accessed 21 November 2016. <br /><br />“Ellis, George, 1753-1815.” <em>Proquest Literature Online</em>. 2015. http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl?ctx_ver=Z39.88-2003&xri:pqil:res_ver=0.2&res_id=xri:lion&rft_id=xri:lion:ft:ref:BIO000735:0&rft.accountid=27975. Accessed 21 November 2016. <br /><br />Wootton, David. “The Review of English Studies.” <em>The Review of English Studies</em>, 54.216, 2003, pp. 527–528. New Series, www.jstor.org/stable/3661518.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Ellis, George 1753-1803
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
London : Printed by W. Bulmer and co. for G and W. Nicol
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1803
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Johnny Vaccaro
Mark Robbins
Betsy Lizotte
Language
A language of the resource
English
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
http://catalog.wrlc.org/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=4104541
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
3 v. ; 19cm.
1100-1500
1100-1500 --History and criticism
1100-1500 --Modernized versions
1500-1700
1500-1700 --History and criticism
English
English poetry --Early modern
English poetry --Middle English
Romances