James Sheridan Knowles
James Sheridan Knowles | |
---|---|
Born | 12 May 1784 Cork, County Cork, Kingdom of Ireland |
Died | 30 November 1862 Torquay, Devon, United Kingdom |
Occupation | Dramatist and actor |
Spouse | Maria Charteris |
James Sheridan Knowles (12 May 1784 – 30 November 1862) was an Irish
Early life
Knowles was born in
Literary career
Although Dr Willan offered him a share in his practice, Knowles decided to give up medicine for the stage, making his first appearance as an actor probably at Bath, and played Hamlet at Crow Street Theatre, Dublin. At Wexford he married, in October 1809, Maria Charteris, an actress from the Edinburgh Theatre. In 1810 he wrote Leo, a successful play in which Edmund Kean appeared; another play, Brian Boroihme, written for the Belfast Theatre in the next year, attracted crowds; nevertheless, Knowles's earnings were so small that he was obliged to become assistant to his father at the Belfast Academical Institution. In 1817 he moved from Belfast to Glasgow, where, besides keeping a flourishing school, he continued to write for the stage.[1]
His first important success was
Later life
In his later years he forsook the stage for the pulpit, and as a Baptist preacher attracted large audiences at
He died at Torquay on 30 November 1862. He is buried under a huge tomb at the summit of the Glasgow Necropolis.
Bibliography
A full list of the works of Knowles and of the various notices of him will be found in The Life of James Sheridan Knowles (1872), privately printed by his son, Richard Brinsley Knowles (1820–1882), who was well known as a journalist.[1] It was translated into German.[7]
Works
Plays
- Leo; or, The Gipsy (1810)
- Brian Boroihme; or, The Maid of Erin (1811)[8]
- Caius Gracchus (1815)[9]
- Virginius (1820) A Tragedy in Five Acts[10]
- William Tell (1825)[11]
- The Beggar's Daughter of Bethnal Green (1828)[12]
- Alfred the Great; or The Patriot King (1831)[11]
- The Hunchback (1832)[13]
- A Masque (in one act and in verse on the death of Sir Walter Scott) (1832)[7]
- The Wife; A Tale of Mantua (1833)[11]
- The Beggar of Bethnal Green (1834)[11]
- The Bridal (1837) (An adaptation of The Maid's Tragedy)[7]
- The Daughter (1837)[11]
- The Love Chase (1837)[14]
- Woman's Wit (1838)[15]
- The Maid of Mariendorpt (1838)[16]
- Love (1839)[17]
- John of Procida; or, The Bridals of Messina (1840)[18]
- Old Maids (1841)[19]
- The Rose of Arragon (1842)[20]
- The Secretary (1843)[21]
- Alexina; or, True unto Death (1866)[22]
Novels and short stories
- The Magdalen and Other Tales (1832)[23]
- Fortescue (1846)[24]
- George Lovell (1847)
- Old Adventures (1859)
- Tales and Novelettes etc. (1874)
Poetry
- A Collection of Poems on Various Subjects (1810)[25]
- Fugitive Pieces
- The Senate, or Social Villagers of Kentish Town, a Canto (1817)
Theological writings
- The Rock of Rome; or, The Arch Heresy (1849)[7]
- The Idol Demolished by Its Own Priest (1852)[7] (An answer to Cardinal Wiseman's Lectures on Transubstantiation.)
- The Gospel Attributed to Matthew in the Record of the Whole Original Apostlehood (1855)[7]
Non-fiction
- The Elocutionist (1831)[26] (A collection of pieces in prose and verse; peculiarly adapted to display the art of reading...)
- A Treatise on the Climate of Madeira (1850)
- The Debater's Handbook (1862)[27]
- Lectures on Dramatic Literature (1875)[28]
References
- ^ a b c d e public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Knowles, James Sheridan". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 15 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 877. One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the
- ^ Howe, P. P. The Life of William Hazlitt. London: Hamish Hamilton, 1922, 1947 (paperback edition 1949), p. 304.
- ^ Stedman, Jane W. "General Utility: Victorian Author-Actors from Knowles to Pinero", Educational Theatre Journal, Vol. 24, No. 3, October 1972, pp. 289–301, The Johns Hopkins University Press
- ^ * Crook, Nora. Mary Shelley's Literary Lives and Other Writings. Taylor & Francis, 2022. p.342
- ^ Appletons' annual cyclopaedia and register of important events of the year: 1862. New York: D. Appleton & Company. 1863. p. 543.
- ^ Edmund Gosse, Father and Son (2004) pp122-123, OUP
- ^ a b c d e f Ludwig Hasberg (1883) James Sheridan Knowles' Leben und dramatische Werke, Lingen, Hanover (Google eBook) (German)
- ^ Brian Boroihme; or, The Maid of Erin (eBook)
- ^ Caius Gracchus (Google Books)
- ^ Virginius (Google Books)
- ^ a b c d e The dramatic works of James Sheridan Knowles Volume 1 (1856)
- ^ The Beggar's Daughter of Bethnal Green (Google eBook)
- ^ The Hunchback (Internet Archive)
- ^ The Love Chase (Google eBook)
- ^ Woman's Wit (Internet Archive)
- ^ The Maid of Mariendorpt (Google Books)
- ^ Love
- ^ John of Procida; or, The Bridals of Messina (Internet Archive)
- ^ Old Maids (Internet Archive)
- ^ The Rose of Arragon (Internet Archive)
- ^ The Secretary (Internet Archive)
- ^ True unto Death
- ^ The Magdalen and Other Tales (Google eBook)
- ^ Fortescue (Google eBook)
- ^ A collection of poems on various subjects (Google eBook)
- ^ The Elocutionist (Google eBook)
- ^ The Debater's Handbook (Google Books)
- ^ Lectures on dramatic literature (Google eBook)
External links
- Works by James Sheridan Knowles at Project Gutenberg
- Works by or about James Sheridan Knowles at Internet Archive
- Works by James Sheridan Knowles at LibriVox (public domain audiobooks)
- Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900. .