Andrew Marvell: The Chameleon
by Nigel Smith /
2010 / English / EPUB
1 MB Download
The seventeenth-century poet Andrew Marvell (1621–1678) is one of
the most intriguing figures in English literature. A noted civil
servant under Cromwell’s Protectorate, he has been variously
identified as a patriot, spy, conspirator, concealed homosexual,
father to the liberal tradition, and incendiary satirical
pamphleteer and freethinker. But while Marvell’s poetry and prose
has attracted a wide modern following, his prose is known only to
specialists, and much of his personal life remains shrouded in
mystery.
The seventeenth-century poet Andrew Marvell (1621–1678) is one of
the most intriguing figures in English literature. A noted civil
servant under Cromwell’s Protectorate, he has been variously
identified as a patriot, spy, conspirator, concealed homosexual,
father to the liberal tradition, and incendiary satirical
pamphleteer and freethinker. But while Marvell’s poetry and prose
has attracted a wide modern following, his prose is known only to
specialists, and much of his personal life remains shrouded in
mystery.
Nigel Smith’s pivotal biography provides an unparalleled look
into Marvell’s life, from his early employment as a tutor and
gentleman’s companion to his suspicious death, reputedly a
politically fueled poisoning. Drawing on exhaustive archival
research, the voluminous corpus of Marvell’s previously little
known writing, and recent scholarship across several disciplines,
Smith’s portrait becomes the definitive account of this elusive
life.
Nigel Smith’s pivotal biography provides an unparalleled look
into Marvell’s life, from his early employment as a tutor and
gentleman’s companion to his suspicious death, reputedly a
politically fueled poisoning. Drawing on exhaustive archival
research, the voluminous corpus of Marvell’s previously little
known writing, and recent scholarship across several disciplines,
Smith’s portrait becomes the definitive account of this elusive
life.