William Collins (1721–1759) was an English poet whose influence was only second to Thomas Gray (1716–1771) as a poet of the middle decades of the 18th Century. Emotive and wistful in their expression, his lyrical odes mark a distinct departure from the Augustan poets of the previous generation — Alexander Pope and Michael Dryden foremost. Because his work is of florid and effusive sentiments, Collins is often seen, like William Blake, as a bridge to the Romantic era which would follow his generation’s output.
William Collins (1721–1759) was an English poet whose influence was only second to Thomas Gray (1716–1771) as a poet of the middle decades of the 18th Century. Emotive and wistful in their expression, his lyrical odes mark a distinct departure from the Augustan poets of the previous generation — Alexander Pope and Michael Dryden foremost. Because his work is of florid and effusive sentiments, Collins is often seen, like William Blake, as a bridge to the Romantic era which would follow his generation’s output.
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