John Hamilton Reynolds
| John Hamilton Reynolds | |
|---|---|
| Born |
9 September 1794 Shrewsbury, Great Britain |
| Died | 15 November 1852 (aged 58) Newport, Isle of Wight, United Kingdom |
| Occupation | Poet, journalist, lawyer |
| Language | English |
| Nationality | British |
| Alma mater | St Paul's School |
| Literary movement | Romanticism |
| Spouse | Eliza Drewe |
John Hamilton Reynolds (1794–1852) was an English poet, satirist, critic, and playwright. He was a close friend and correspondent of poet John Keats whose letters to Reynolds constitute a significant body of Keats' poetic thought. Reynolds was also the brother in law of the writer and humorist Thomas Hood who was married to his sister Jane.
Reynolds was born in Shrewsbury to George Reynolds, teacher at Shrewsbury School and Charlotte Cox Reynolds. His mother was related to the Hamilton family, from which Reynolds received his middle name, which included the Gothic writer William Thomas Beckford. Reynolds attended Shrewsbury School, then enrolled at St Paul's School in London when the family moved in 1806, completing formal education in 1810.
He took a junior clerkship in an insurance office, the Amicable Society for Perpetual Assurance, working there at least until 1816. From 1818 to 1820, worked in Essex Street for Francis Fladgate, a solicitor. Meanwhile, he pursued his self-education by reading widely in classical and English literature and also began writing poetry. He was encouraged in his literary interests by his friend John F M Dovaston, a former student of Reynolds's father.
Reynolds's first published poem, "Ode to Friendship" appeared in the Gentleman's Magazine in 1812. He was a prolific journalist and reviewer, and published collections of poems and a diverse array of articles. He received favourable notice from a number of critics and poets, including Byron, whose work Reynolds had closely imitated. Later he published The Eden of Imagination, imitating Wordsworth, who had also encouraged him. Early in his poetic career, John Clare claimed to be a huge admirer of Reynolds's work, and the two met and socialised with other contributors to the London Magazine.
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