John Clare

John Clare (1793-1864) image source

John Clare texts in RAP

Poetry

An Invite to Eternity (the "raw" Clare text)

I am

Clare's To Wordsworth

The Beanfield (I found this and really couldn't resist)

An edited version of An Invite to Eternity

Prose

Popularity in Authorship, 1824

Related essays in RAP

Audience and Expectation in An Invite to Eternity, a close reading of transmission and audience

Clare and the Ubiquitous Editor, a publication history of An Invite to Eternity and the relationship between Clare's texts and their editors.

An Illustrated Invite to Eternity-key, not exactly an essay, but a synthesis of some of the ideas from the two above essays in pictures.

Clare Sites of Interest

The John Clare Page at Nottingham Trent University

The John Clare Society

Carry Akroyd's John Clare Art

An Invite to Eternity as music?

Clare Chronology:

1793 Born 13 July, Helpston, Northamptonshire.

1804 (aged about 11) Receives from his uncle a copy of Pomfret's Poems, which his father reads to him, stimulating his love of poetry.

1820 Poems Descriptive of Rural Life and Scenery published by Taylor and Hessey. 1,000 copies of first edition; four editions that year. Marries Martha Turner and first daughter is born.

1821 The Village Minstrel published by Taylor and Hessey.

1827 The Shepherd's Calendar with Village Stories and Other Poems published

1832 Moves with his family to Northborough, a few miles from Helpston.

1835 The Rural Muse, Clare's last book, published.

1837 Admitted to High Beach Asylum, Epping Forest, suffering from delusions.

1841 Committed to Northampton General Lunatic Asylum and remains there for his last 23 years.

1864 (20 May) dies at Northampton; is brought home and buried at Helpston.

(full chronology at The John Clare Page)