Anglican poets and poems?

Discussion in 'Arts, Literature, and Games' started by MWDavis, Nov 11, 2014.

  1. MWDavis

    MWDavis New Member

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    Hello all,

    I think it would be fascinating to see how much of the English canon belonged to the Anglican Church.

    There's John Donne, George Herbert, and most of the Metaphysical Poets.

    William Wordsworth was a devout Anglican.

    There's Dante and Christina Rossetti, two leaders of the pre-Raphaelite movement.

    W.B. Yeats and C.S. Lewis were both lapsed Church of Ireland and later returned to the Church (much later in Yeats's case than Lewis's). W.H. Auden was also lapsed (C of E) and returned half-way through his career.

    T.S. Eliot famously converted to the C of E and became an Anglo-Catholic. John Betjeman was also an Anglo-Catholic.

    Geoffrey Hill, the greatest living poet, is a practicing Anglican. His wife, the poet Alice Goodman, is an ordained Anglican priest.

    Can you think of any more?
     
  2. Peteprint

    Peteprint Well-Known Member Anglican

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  3. Onlooker

    Onlooker Active Member

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    The very splendid (the Rev) William Barnes
     
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  4. Onlooker

    Onlooker Active Member

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    Oh – Rowan Williams, of course!
     
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  5. Onlooker

    Onlooker Active Member

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    And Lewis Carroll.
     
  6. MWDavis

    MWDavis New Member

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    Indeed, and he was an Anglo-Catholic at that! As, I think, Lord Williams is generally thought to be.
     
  7. Onlooker

    Onlooker Active Member

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    And then there's Charles Wesley. And, while we're about it, John, Samuel, and Samuel the Younger.
     
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  8. Onlooker

    Onlooker Active Member

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    And Dr Johnson.
     
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  9. highchurchman

    highchurchman Well-Known Member Anglican

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    My favourite poet amongst Anglican's or others is Robert Herrick. He's earthy , but with a magic touch that doesn't step in to the mire of any century!
     
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  10. MWDavis

    MWDavis New Member

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    Also R.S. Thomas, Anglican priest and "the Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn of Wales".
     
  11. Onlooker

    Onlooker Active Member

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    R S Thomas – why didn't I think of him? And can we claim Robert Bridges, do you think?
     
  12. MWDavis

    MWDavis New Member

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    Yes indeed!
     
  13. Onlooker

    Onlooker Active Member

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    Robert Stephen Hawker, whose Hut I have visited. And that brings us to Sabine Baring-Gould.
     
  14. Celtic1

    Celtic1 Well-Known Member

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    My favorite is Christina Rossetti.
     
  15. SirPalomides

    SirPalomides Active Member

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    Not quite a poet, but the great writer of weird tales Arthur Machen was an Anglo-Catholic and his prose is infused with poetry.