A Defence of Poetry

Thomas Love Peacock was a satirical English novelist and poet. He is most known for four of his seven novels: Headlong Hall, Melincourt, Nightmare Abbey, and Maid Marian, which were published between 1815 and 1822. An only child, Peacock was born in October 1785 in Dorset, England. After he was removed from school at 13, Peacock continued the rest of his education through self-learning. He mastered Greek, Latin, French, and Italian. In February 1800, Peacock won a prize from The Monthly Preceptor for his first publication, a verse poem in response to the question, “Is history or biography the more improving study?” Peacock’s first volume of poetry, Palmyra, and other Poems, was published in late 1805.

Peacock met Percy Shelley in November 1812. At the time, Peacock was in dire financial straits, and Shelley took pity on him. Shelley invited Peacock to stay and join him and Harriet, his wife at the time, in September 1813. The two quickly became close friends, but their relationship was strained when Peacock fell in love with Harriet. Although Peacock remained loyal to Shelley after Shelley eloped, the betrayal Shelley felt never truly left their relationship. The poets’ mutual influences benefited each of their writings. In March 1814, Peacock published Sir Proteus: a Satirical Ballad under a pseudonym, which exhibited Shelley’s influence by discussing literary politics—a first for Peacock.

After Shelley inherited money from his grandfather in May 1815, he provided a regular income for Peacock until Peacock was appointed to work at the East India Company in January 1819. Peacock returned the favor by being Shelley’s business manager. With his comfort and salary assured, Peacock decided to marry an old flame, Jane Gryffydh, on March 22, 1820. With his career and family life settled, Peacock’s writing became sporadic. His satiric essay “The Four Ages of Poetry,” in which Peacock claims that industry, science, and technological advancements made poetry obsolete, was published in 1820. Although the essay was satire, there was some truth to his words; he believed that the poetry of the day needed something else. Peacock ridiculed the Lake Poets, including William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge, whom he claimed were ignorant of history, society, and human nature. Peacock argued that modern poetry was badly derivative, which was a challenge to the Romantic poets who believed they were doing something new and impacting society. His impassioned essay provoked Shelley to write “A Defence of Poetry” in support of the Romantic movement.

Peacock and Shelley remained close until Shelley’s death in July 1822. Peacock was Shelley’s executor, and he negotiated with Shelley’s father to provide for Mary Shelley and her son Percy. After Shelley’s death, Peacock at first refused to write about him because he did not want to bring up old gossip. Ultimately, he addressed his old friend’s life to set the record straight, publishing the “Memoirs of Percy Bysshe Shelley” in sections from June 1858 until March 1862. His complete portrait of Shelley is considered objective by scholars, although there were a few areas where Peacock was protective of his old friend.

After his retirement from the East India Company in March 1856, Peacock rarely left his home; he struggled with depression following the deaths of his wife and two daughters. He died on January 23, 1866, after suffering injuries sustained in a fire.

Source: Joukovsky, Nicholas A. “Peacock, Thomas Love (1785-1866), Satirical Novelist and Poet.” Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 24 Sep. 2004.