author
John Skelton
d. 1529
A sharp-tongued Tudor poet and priest, he helped shape early English verse with fast, punchy rhymes that later became known as Skeltonics. His writing could be playful, learned, and fiercely satirical all at once.
2 Audiobooks
The Poetical Works of John Skelton, Volume 2 (of 2)
by John Skelton
The Poetical Works of John Skelton, Volume 1 (of 2)
by John Skelton
About the author
Writing in the early Tudor period, John Skelton was an English poet, playwright, and priest, active at a moment when English was shifting from its medieval forms toward something more modern. He was closely connected to the royal court and is known to have served as tutor to the young Prince Henry, the future Henry VIII.
Skelton is remembered above all for his highly distinctive verse style: short, quick, strongly rhythmic lines that critics later called Skeltonics. His poems range widely in tone, from courtly and learned to comic and biting, and many of his best-known works attack political and religious corruption with unusual energy.
Although his reputation faded for a time after his death on June 21, 1529, modern readers and scholars have restored him to an important place in English literary history. He is now widely seen as one of the major poets of the early Tudor age, bridging older traditions and the emerging voice of Renaissance England.