1778 in literature

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This article contains information about the literary events and publications of 1778.

Events

October – On her father's death,^[1] novelist Sarah Scott receives a legacy that enables her to give up writing.^[2]
c. November – Printing of Nathaniel Brassey Halhed's Grammar of the Bengali Language in Hooghly for the British East India Company is completed, the first such grammar in English and the first publication using a Bengali typeface, devised by Charles Wilkins.^[3]
unknown dates
- A new edition of The Plays of William Shakespeare is published, edited by Samuel Johnson and George Steevens. It includes Edmond Malone's essay "An Attempt to Ascertain the Order in Which the Plays Attributed to Shakspeare Were Written".^[4]
- Fanny Burney's first novel, the epistolary Evelina, or The History of a Young Lady's Entrance into the World, is published anonymously in London.

New books

Fiction

Anonymous – The Travels of Hildebrand Bowman, Esquire, into Carnovirria, Taupiniera, Olfactaria, and Auditante, in New-Zealand; in the Island of Bonhommica, and in the Powerful Kingdom of Luxo-Volupto, on the Great Southern Continent
Fanny Burney (anonymously) – Evelina
Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire (anonymously) – The Sylph (sometimes ascribed to Sophia Briscoe)
Pierre-Louis Ginguené – Satire des Satires
Ignacy Krasicki – Pan Podstoli, part 1^[5]
Clara Reeve – The Old English Baron
Lady Mary Walker – Munster Village

Children

Mrs. Barbauld
- Lessons for Children of Two to Three^[6]
- Lessons for Children of Three (two parts, a fourth book, for four-year-olds, in 1779)

Drama

Henry Brooke – collected plays
Elizabeth Craven – The Sleep Walker^[7]
Richard Cumberland
- The Battle of Hastings
- The Princess of Parma
Charles Dibdin – Poor Vulcan
Samuel Foote
- The Devil upon Two Sticks
- The Nabob
- The Taylors
Jean-François de La Harpe – Les Barmecides^[8]
John Home – Alfred
Hannah More – Percy
John O'Keeffe – Tony Lumpkin in Town^[9]
Samuel Jackson Pratt – Joseph Andrews
Richard Brinsley Sheridan – The Camp

Poetry

John Codrington Bampfylde – Sixteen Sonnets
Thomas Chatterton (suicide 1770) – Miscellanies
William Combe – The Auction
Gaspar Melchor de Jovellanos – Jovino a sus amigos de Sevilla
Vicente Garcia de la Huerta – Obras poéticas
George Ellis as "Sir Gregory Gander" – Poetical Tales
William Hayley – A Poetical Epistle to an Eminent Painter
Pedro Montengón – Odas
John Scott – Moral Eclogues
John Wolcot as "Peter Pindar" – A Poetical, Supplicating, Modest and Affecting Epistle to those Literary Colossuses the Reviewers

Non-fiction

Edmund Burke – Two Letters on the Trade of Ireland
Theodor Gottlieb von Hippel the Elder – Lebenslaufe nach aufsteigender Linie (begins publication)
Lorenzo Hervás y Panduro – Idea dell'Universo
Vicesimus Knox – Essays Moral and Literary
Francisco Javier Llampillas – Saggio apologetic della letteratura spagnuola contro le pregiudicate opinion di alcuni moderni scritori italiani
Ann Murry – Mentoria
Thomas Pennant – A Tour in Wales
Gilbert Stuart – A View of Society in Europe
Thomas West – A Guide to the Lakes

Births

February 6 – Ugo Foscolo, Italian poet (died 1827)^[10]

Margaret Bayard Smith

February 20 – Margaret Bayard Smith, American writer (died 1844)^[11]
February 22 – Gottfried Wilhelm Becker, German physician, writer and translator (died 1854)^[12]
March 24 – Robert Fleming Gourlay, Scottish-born Canadian agriculturist and writer (died 1863)^[13]
April 10 – William Hazlitt, English essayist and literary critic (died 1830)^[14]
April 19 – Elizabeth Wynne Fremantle, English diarist (died 1857)
May – John Peter Pruden, pioneer of western Canada, fur trader, and writer (died 1868)^[15]
June 1 – Margaret Holford the younger, English poet and novelist (died 1852)
June 28
- Mariano Velazquez de la Cadena, Mexican grammarian and writer (died 1860)^[16]
- John David Macbride, English Arabist and academic (died 1868)
July 15 – Henry Joseph Monck Mason, Irish writer and musician (died 1858)^[17]
August 22 – James Kirke Paulding, American novelist and politician (died 1860)^[18]
August 23 – William Burt, English solicitor and writer (died 1826)^[19]
September 2 – Michał Józef Römer, Polish politician and writer (died 1853)
September 9 – Clemens Brentano, German novelist and poet (died 1842)^[20]
October 22 – Javier de Burgos, Spanish writer, politician and jurist (died 1849)^[21]
November 1 – Mary Brunton, Scottish novelist (died 1818)^[22]
November 28 – Christoph Ernst von Houwald, German dramatist (died 1845)^[23]
November 29 – Hryhorii Kvitka-Osnovianenko, Ukrainian writer, journalist, and playwright (died 1843)^[24]
December 8 – George Crabb, British writer (died 1851)^[25]
December 15 – John Penrose, Church of England clergyman and theologian (died 1859)
December 16 – Ludwig Robert, German dramatist (died 1832)
December 18 – Joseph Grimaldi, English autobiographer and clown (died 1837)^[26]
unknown date – Mary Robinson (Maid of Buttermere), English literary muse (died 1837)

Deaths

January 10 – Eva König, German woman of letters (born 1736)
February 10 – Mary Jones, English poet (born 1707)
March 13 – Charles le Beau, French historian (born 1701)
May 27 – Christian Tobias Damm, German philologist and theologian (born 1699)
May 30 – Voltaire, French philosopher and satirist (born 1694)^[27]
July 3 – Jean-Jacques Rousseau, French philosopher (born 1712)^[28]
July 5
- Antonio Collalto, Italian actor and dramatist (born 1713)
- July 15 – James Townley, English dramatist (born 1714)^[29]
October 6 – William Worthington, English theologian (born 1703)
November 11 – Anne Steele, English poet and hymn-writer (born 1717)^[30]
November 22 – Edward Rowe Mores, English antiquarian and scholar (born 1731)^[31]

References

^ Matthew Montagu (1830). Minutes of evidence taken before the Committee for Privileges, to whom the petition of ... Matthew Baron Rokeby ... praying that his right to vote at the Election of Peers of Ireland to sit in the Parliament of the United Kingdom may be admitted, stands referred. p. 6.
^ Kelly, Gary. "Scott, Sarah (1720–1795)." Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford UP, 2004.
^ Dalrymple, William (2004). White Mughals: love and betrayal in eighteenth-century India. Penguin Books. ISBN 978-0-14-200412-8..
^ Paul Tankard, "Boswell, George Steevens, and the Johnsonian Biography Wars". The Age of Johnson: A Scholarly Annual, 22 (2012), pp. 73–95.
^ George Saintsbury (1907). Periods of European Literature. C. Scribner's sons. p. 487.
^ Tamara S. Wagner (28 May 2020). The Victorian Baby in Print: Infancy, Infant Care, and Nineteenth-Century Popular Culture. Oxford University Press. p. 113. ISBN 978-0-19-885801-0.
^ Country Life. Country Life, Limited. 2009. p. 124.
^ Ebenezer Cobham Brewer (March 2004). Character Sketches of Romance, Fiction and the Drama: Volume IV. The Minerva Group, Inc. p. 5. ISBN 978-1-4102-1336-5.
^ William Stewart (2007). British and Irish Poets: A Biographical Dictionary, 449-2006. McFarland. p. 296. ISBN 978-0-7864-2891-5.
^ Francesco Flamini (1907). A History of Italian Literature (1265-1907). National Alumni. p. 306.
^ John Arthur Garraty; Mark Christopher Carnes (1999). American National Biography. Oxford University Press. p. 252. ISBN 978-0-19-512799-7.
^ The New American Cyclopaedia: A Popular Dictionary of General Knowledge. Appleton. 1867. p. 37.
^ Lawrence M. Lande (1957). Old Lamps Aglow: An Appreciation of Early Canadian Poetry. Christian Brothers. p. 261.
^ Alexander IRELAND (1868). List of the writings of William Hazlitt and Leigh Hunt, chronologically arranged, with notes ... p. 46.
^ Gail Morin (2001). Métis Families: Mainville to Pruden. Quintin Publications. p. 479. ISBN 978-1-58211-412-5.
^ John Ward Dean; George Folsom; John Gilmary Shea (1860). The Historical Magazine and Notes and Queries Concerning the Antiquities, History and Biography of America. Henry B. Dawson. p. 156.
^ Henry Joseph Monck Mason (1999). Essay on the Antiquity and Constitution of Parliaments in Ireland. Gaunt. p. 9. ISBN 978-1-56169-554-6.
^ Scholastic Library Publishing (2006). Encyclopedia Americana. Scholastic Library Pub. p. 549. ISBN 978-0-7172-0139-6.
^ Devonshire Association for the Advancement of Science, Literature and Art (1887). Report & Transactions. p. 261.
^ Scholastic Library Publishing (2006). Encyclopedia Americana. Scholastic Library Pub. p. 505. ISBN 978-0-7172-0139-6.
^ The Men of the Time: Or, Sketches of Living Notables ... Redfield. 1852. p. 72.
^ Royle, Trevor (2012). The Mainstream Companion to Scottish Literature. Random House. p. 92. ISBN 9781780574196.
^ Franklin Henry Hooper (1937). The Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia britannica Company, Limited. p. 845.
^ Ivan Katchanovski; Zenon E. Kohut; Bohdan Y. Nebesio; Myroslav Yurkevich (11 July 2013). Historical Dictionary of Ukraine. Scarecrow Press. p. 298. ISBN 978-0-8108-7847-1.
^ Tony Copsey (2000). Suffolk Writers from the Beginning Until 1800: A Catalogue of Suffolk Authors with Some Account of Their Lives and a List of Their Writings. Book Company. p. 131. ISBN 978-0-9522970-1-7.
^ Albert Edward Wilson (1946). Pantomime Pageant: A Procession of Harlequins, Clowns, Comedians, Principal Boys, Pantomime-writers, Producers and Playgoers. S. Paul & Company Limited. p. 21.
^ Peter Gay, The Enlightenment – An Interpretation, Volume 2: The Science of Freedom, Wildwood House, London, 1973, pp. 88–89.
^ Charles Henry Dobinson (1969). Jean-Jacques Rousseau: His Thought and Its Relevance Today. Methuen. p. 3. ISBN 978-0-416-15210-4.
^ John Parker (1967). Who's who in the Theatre. Pitman. p. 1698.
^ Robert J. Morgan (October 2010). Near to the Heart of God: Meditations on 366 Best-Loved Hymns. Revell. p. 324. ISBN 978-0-8007-3395-7.
^ Edward Hasted (1782). The History and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent... author. p. 580.

[1] Matthew Montagu (1830). Minutes of evidence taken before the Committee for Privileges, to whom the petition of ... Matthew Baron Rokeby ... praying that his right to vote at the Election of Peers of Ireland to sit in the Parliament of the United Kingdom may be admitted, stands referred. p. 6.

[2] Kelly, Gary. "Scott, Sarah (1720–1795)." Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford UP, 2004.

[3] Dalrymple, William (2004). White Mughals: love and betrayal in eighteenth-century India. Penguin Books. ISBN 978-0-14-200412-8..

[4] Paul Tankard, "Boswell, George Steevens, and the Johnsonian Biography Wars". The Age of Johnson: A Scholarly Annual, 22 (2012), pp. 73–95.

[5] George Saintsbury (1907). Periods of European Literature. C. Scribner's sons. p. 487.

[6] Tamara S. Wagner (28 May 2020). The Victorian Baby in Print: Infancy, Infant Care, and Nineteenth-Century Popular Culture. Oxford University Press. p. 113. ISBN 978-0-19-885801-0.

[7] Country Life. Country Life, Limited. 2009. p. 124.

[8] Ebenezer Cobham Brewer (March 2004). Character Sketches of Romance, Fiction and the Drama: Volume IV. The Minerva Group, Inc. p. 5. ISBN 978-1-4102-1336-5.

[9] William Stewart (2007). British and Irish Poets: A Biographical Dictionary, 449-2006. McFarland. p. 296. ISBN 978-0-7864-2891-5.

[10] Francesco Flamini (1907). A History of Italian Literature (1265-1907). National Alumni. p. 306.

[11] John Arthur Garraty; Mark Christopher Carnes (1999). American National Biography. Oxford University Press. p. 252. ISBN 978-0-19-512799-7.

[12] The New American Cyclopaedia: A Popular Dictionary of General Knowledge. Appleton. 1867. p. 37.

[13] Lawrence M. Lande (1957). Old Lamps Aglow: An Appreciation of Early Canadian Poetry. Christian Brothers. p. 261.

[14] Alexander IRELAND (1868). List of the writings of William Hazlitt and Leigh Hunt, chronologically arranged, with notes ... p. 46.

[15] Gail Morin (2001). Métis Families: Mainville to Pruden. Quintin Publications. p. 479. ISBN 978-1-58211-412-5.

[16] John Ward Dean; George Folsom; John Gilmary Shea (1860). The Historical Magazine and Notes and Queries Concerning the Antiquities, History and Biography of America. Henry B. Dawson. p. 156.

[Mason1999-17] Henry Joseph Monck Mason (1999). Essay on the Antiquity and Constitution of Parliaments in Ireland. Gaunt. p. 9. ISBN 978-1-56169-554-6.

[18] Scholastic Library Publishing (2006). Encyclopedia Americana. Scholastic Library Pub. p. 549. ISBN 978-0-7172-0139-6.

[19] Devonshire Association for the Advancement of Science, Literature and Art (1887). Report & Transactions. p. 261.

[20] Scholastic Library Publishing (2006). Encyclopedia Americana. Scholastic Library Pub. p. 505. ISBN 978-0-7172-0139-6.

[21] The Men of the Time: Or, Sketches of Living Notables ... Redfield. 1852. p. 72.

[22] Royle, Trevor (2012). The Mainstream Companion to Scottish Literature. Random House. p. 92. ISBN 9781780574196.

[23] Franklin Henry Hooper (1937). The Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia britannica Company, Limited. p. 845.

[24] Ivan Katchanovski; Zenon E. Kohut; Bohdan Y. Nebesio; Myroslav Yurkevich (11 July 2013). Historical Dictionary of Ukraine. Scarecrow Press. p. 298. ISBN 978-0-8108-7847-1.

[25] Tony Copsey (2000). Suffolk Writers from the Beginning Until 1800: A Catalogue of Suffolk Authors with Some Account of Their Lives and a List of Their Writings. Book Company. p. 131. ISBN 978-0-9522970-1-7.

[26] Albert Edward Wilson (1946). Pantomime Pageant: A Procession of Harlequins, Clowns, Comedians, Principal Boys, Pantomime-writers, Producers and Playgoers. S. Paul & Company Limited. p. 21.

[27] Peter Gay, The Enlightenment – An Interpretation, Volume 2: The Science of Freedom, Wildwood House, London, 1973, pp. 88–89.

[28] Charles Henry Dobinson (1969). Jean-Jacques Rousseau: His Thought and Its Relevance Today. Methuen. p. 3. ISBN 978-0-416-15210-4.

[29] John Parker (1967). Who's who in the Theatre. Pitman. p. 1698.

[30] Robert J. Morgan (October 2010). Near to the Heart of God: Meditations on 366 Best-Loved Hymns. Revell. p. 324. ISBN 978-0-8007-3395-7.

[31] Edward Hasted (1782). The History and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent... author. p. 580.

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