Gerard Manley Hopkins

Gerard Manley Hopkins (1844-1889) was an English poet and Jesuit priest, whose innovative use of prosody and imagery profoundly influenced modern poetry. Born in Stratford, Essex, he was the eldest of nine children. Hopkins attended Highgate School and later Balliol College, Oxford, where he excelled academically and converted to Roman Catholicism under the influence of John Henry Newman.

Hopkins entered the Jesuit order in 1868, subsequently burning his early poetic works as an act of self-renunciation. Despite this, his creative spirit persisted, and he began writing again to express his deep religious faith. He developed a unique poetic style characterized by "sprung rhythm," a meter designed to mirror natural speech, and vivid, intricate imagery.

His most famous works, including “The Windhover,” “Pied Beauty,” and “God’s Grandeur,” explore themes of nature, divinity, and human existence. However, Hopkins' poetry remained largely unpublished and unrecognized during his lifetime. He spent his final years teaching classics in Ireland, where he struggled with depression and feelings of inadequacy.

Hopkins' significance as a poet was only realized posthumously, largely due to the efforts of his friend, poet Robert Bridges, who published Hopkins’ collected works in 1918. Today, Gerard Manley Hopkins is celebrated as one of the most innovative and influential poets of the Victorian era.