Hook, Theodore Edward

Hook, Theodore Edward

▪ English writer

born Sept. 22, 1788, London
died Aug. 24, 1841, London
 prolific English playwright and novelist, best remembered as a founder of the “silver-fork” school of novelists who, in the early 19th century, aimed to describe fashionable English society from the inside for those on the outside.

      Hook was the son of the composer and organist James Hook (1746–1827), and, while a schoolboy at Harrow, he wrote the words for his father's comic operas. After leaving Oxford, he wrote farces and melodramas, ran into debt, and became a favourite wit in Regency high society. In 1813 his friend the prince regent procured him the post of accountant general to Mauritius.

      Hook took to novel writing when bankrupted following his trial for mismanagement of public money: in 1817, when some £12,000 was found to have been stolen, Hook, although guilty only of negligence, was recalled, tried, and imprisoned. The success in 1824 of his Sayings and Doings, tales with a fashionable setting, each illustrating a proverb, was such that he extended their three volumes to nine in 1828. From 1824 to 1841 he wrote a series of fictional works in a similar style, notably Maxwell (1830), Gilbert Gurney (1836), and Jack Brag (1837).

Additional Reading
Matthew Whiting Rosa, The Silver-Fork School (1936, reissued 1964); R.H. Dalton Barham, The Life and Remains of Theodore Edward Hook, 2 vol. (1849, reprinted 1975); Myron F. Brightfield, Theodore Hook and His Novels (1928).

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Hook, Theodore Edward — (1788 1841)    Dramatist and novelist, s. of James H., music hall composer, was b. in London, and ed. at Harrow. As a boy he wrote words for his father s comic dramas. In 1805 he produced a comic opera, The Soldier s Return, which was followed by …   Short biographical dictionary of English literature

  • Theodore Edward Hook — Theodore Hook Theodore Edward Hook, né le 5 janvier 1885 à Londres et mort le 24 août 1841 était un écrivain anglais. Ce document provient de « Theodore Hook ». Catégorie : Écrivain anglais …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Theodore Hook — Theodore Edward Hook, né le 5 janvier 1788 à Londres et mort le 24 août 1841 était un écrivain anglais. Il etudia a Harrow puis a Oxford. Son père était James Hook. Theodore Hook etait un fameux farceur, il est surtout connu pour le Berners… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Theodore Hook — Theodore Edward Hook (September 22, 1788 August 24, 1841), English author, was born in London.He spent a year at Harrow, and subsequently matriculated at Oxford, but he never actually resided at the university. His father, James Hook (1746 1827) …   Wikipedia

  • Theodore Hook — in fortgeschrittenen Jahren Theodore Edward Hook (* 22. September 1788 in London; † 24. August 1841 ebenda) war ein britischer Journalist und Romanautor. Leben Der Sohn des populären Komponisten James Hook (1746–1827) zeigte schon früh musika …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Hook (surname) — Hook is a surname, and may refer* Alfred Henry Hook,(1850–1905), English recipient of the Victoria Cross * Frank Eugene Hook, (1893 1982) U.S. state of Michigan politician * Geoff Jeff Hook, (1928 ), Australian cartoonist * George Hook (1930 ),… …   Wikipedia

  • James Hook (Komponist) — James Hook (* 3. Juni 1746; † 1827 in Boulogne, Frankreich) war ein englischer Komponist und Organist. Inhaltsverzeichnis 1 Leben und Wirken 2 Werke 2.1 Musikalische Bühnenwerke 2.2 …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • fashionable novel — ▪ literary subgenre       early 19th century subgenre of the comedy of manners (manners, comedy of) portraying the English upper class, usually by members of that class. One author particularly known for his fashionable novels was Theodore Hook… …   Universalium

  • Список ботаников по их сокращениям —   Это сл …   Википедия

  • Liste des abréviations d'auteur en taxinomie végétale — Cette liste ne doit pas être modifiée. Attention, si vous souhaitez ajouter une nouvelle entrée, faites le sur cette autre page à partir de laquelle cette liste est mise à jour automatiquement. Cette liste est triée par ordre alphabétique des… …   Wikipédia en Français

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”