Overview
The year 1716 in literature pertains to literary events, publications, births, and deaths that occurred during the calendar year 1716. It falls within the early Georgian period in English literature, a time characterized by the development of the Augustan style, the rise of periodical essays, and the early stages of the novel.
Events
- The London stage continued to be a central hub for dramatic works, with performances at venues such as Drury Lane and Lincoln’s Inn Fields, though no singular theatrical event from 1716 has been recorded as historically pivotal in major reference works.
- Periodical literature remained influential; journals that began in the previous decade (e.g., The Spectator and The Tatler) were still circulating, contributing to the public discourse on literature, politics, and society.
New books
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Alexander Pope – Poems on Several Occasions
Pope’s first collected volume of poetry was published in 1716. The collection included revised versions of earlier poems such as “The Rape of the Lock” (first appeared 1712) and introduced new works that exemplified the neoclassical emphasis on wit, harmony, and the heroic couplet. -
John Gay – Fables
Gay released a small pamphlet titled Fables in 1716, comprising moralistic verse adaptations of classical fables, continuing his association with the Scriblerus Club and the Augustan literary circle. -
Charles de Brosses – Histoire des préparatifs de l’Amérique (French)
This historical work, while primarily a treatise on the early preparatory voyages to the Americas, was noted for its literary style and contributed to the Enlightenment’s interest in empirical historiography.
Births
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Thomas Gray (13 December 1716 – 30 July 1771) – English poet, classical scholar, and professor of the medieval and modern languages at Cambridge University. He is best known for the elegy “Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard.”
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John Home (13 February 1716 – 22 March 1776) – Scottish poet and dramatist, author of the tragedy “Douglas,” which achieved considerable success on the London stage in the 1750s.
Deaths
- No prominent literary figures are recorded as having died in 1716 in the principal English‑language literary historiographies.
Contextual significance
The publications of 1716 illustrate the consolidation of neoclassical aesthetics in poetry and the ongoing popularity of periodical and moral literature. The birth of Thomas Gray foreshadows the later transition toward pre‑Romantic sensibilities in English poetry.
Note: The information presented derives from established literary histories and reference works covering the early eighteenth century.