Daniel Defoe

by William Minto

Overview

Published in the first series of English Men of Letters in 1879, a time when a complete edition of Daniel Defoe's works was yet to be collated, this biograhical account by William Minto (1845–93) was a significant achievement in literary scholarship as well as an engaging portrait of a colourful and outspoken polemicist. Himself a journalist and essayist for the pioneering Pall Mall Gazette and the Daily News, Minto combines the critical insight of a literary scholar with the empathy and understanding of a fellow writer. Spanning the novelist's entire life (c. 1659–1731), from the passions of his youth to the publication of Robinson Crusoe, his 'later journalistic labours' and the impact of literary success, this biography tells how Defoe disproved the rule that the lives of men of letters are rarely eventful.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940000748312
Publisher:	B&R Samizdat Express
Publication date:	12/01/2008
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	307 KB

About the Author

William Minto was a Scottish scholar, writer, editor, journalist, and author who lived from October 10, 1845, to March 1, 1893. Minto was born in Nether Auchintoul, which is in Aberdeenshire and close to Alford. He was born to farmer James Minto and his wife Barbara Copland. He went to school at the University of Aberdeen and got his M.A. in 1865, "winning the leading prizes in mathematics, classics, and philosophy." Beginning in 1866, he went to Merton College, Oxford, to study, but he dropped out the next year without getting a degree. Alexander Bain was the Regius Chair of Logic and the Regius Chair of English Literature at the University of Aberdeen. He hired him as a junior professor and taught under him. He wrote the book Manual of English Prose Literature, Biographical and Critical during this time. It came out in 1872 and was praised for having "sound judgment and sympathetic appreciation." Minto went to London in 1873. From 1874 to 1878, he wrote political and literary pieces for The Examiner. After that, he worked as a leader writer for The Daily News and The Pall Mall Gazette. During this time, Minto "was seen as a smart and strong opponent of Lord Beaconsfield's imperial policies."

Table of Contents

Preface; 1. Defoe's youth and early pursuits; 2. King William's adjutant; 3. A martyr to dissent?; 4. The review of the affairs of France; 5. The advocate of peace and union; 6. Dr. Sacheverell, and the change of government; 7. Difficulties in re-changing sides; 8. Later journalistic labours; 9. The place of Defoe's fictions in his life; 10. His mysterious end.