Thomas Gray

Thomas Gray (1716-1771), English poet, who was a forerunner of the romantic movement. He was born in London and educated at Eton College and the University of Cambridge. In 1750 he finished the poem for which he is best known, “Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard,” and sent it to his friend, the author Horace Walpole, at whose insistence it was published in 1751. Since that time the work has remained a favorite.

Living at Cambridge, Gray wrote The Progress of Poesy (1754). In 1757 he refused an appointment as poet laureate. He became professor of history and modern languages at Cambridge in 1768. Among his poems are “Ode on a Distant Prospect of Eton College” (1742) and “Sonnet on the Death of Richard West” (1775).In the intervals of his scholastic duties he traveled widely throughout Britain in search of picturesque scenery and ancient monuments, recording his impressions in his Journal (1775). Thomas Gray is considered a forerunner of the romantic poets (see Romanticism).