author
Richard Hurd
1720–1808
An English churchman and critic whose writings on poetry, criticism, and medieval romance helped shape literary taste in the 18th century. Best known today for Letters on Chivalry and Romance, he combined a successful church career with a lasting interest in literature.
8 Audiobooks
The works of Richard Hurd, volume 5 (of 8)
by Richard Hurd
The works of Richard Hurd, volume 8 (of 8)
by Richard Hurd
The works of Richard Hurd, volume 3 (of 8)
by Richard Hurd
The works of Richard Hurd, volume 6 (of 8)
by Richard Hurd
The works of Richard Hurd, volume 2 (of 8)
by Richard Hurd
The works of Richard Hurd, volume 7 (of 8)
by Richard Hurd
The works of Richard Hurd, volume 4 (of 8)
by Richard Hurd
The works of Richard Hurd, volume 1 (of 8)
by Richard Hurd
About the author
Born in Staffordshire in 1720, Richard Hurd was educated at Brewood grammar school and Emmanuel College, Cambridge. He became known as a learned clergyman, critic, and editor, building a reputation through sermons, literary criticism, and scholarly writing.
Hurd was closely associated with William Warburton, whose ideas influenced him and whose works he later edited. His best-known book, Letters on Chivalry and Romance (1762), is often remembered for taking medieval romance seriously at a time when that was unusual, and for helping prepare the way for later Romantic interests in the Gothic and the imaginative.
Alongside his literary work, Hurd rose high in the Church of England, serving as bishop of Lichfield and Coventry before becoming bishop of Worcester. He died in 1808, leaving behind a body of criticism and religious writing that made him an important figure in 18th-century English literary culture.