John Skelton
Published on Nov 18, 2015
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PRESENTATION OUTLINE
John Skelton
served in the court of Henry VII from 1488-1503
tutored the future Henry VIII, and became a priest in 1498
he left the court to become the rector of the parish church at Diss in Norfolk
1512, Skelton returned to the court in London as the king's orator
both a courtier and a priest
wrote everything from poetry to drama
Most of his poems were satirical
most famous long poems were "The Bowge (Barge) of Court" (an allegory) and "Colin Clout"
As a satiric poet, Skelton attacked both secular and religious abuses
His poetry caused Cardinal Wolsey, a powerful churchman, to imprison him in 1518
he died in London in 1529
Many stories circulated about his interesting behavior by the standards of the era
Though a priest, he was rumored to have a lover, who bore him a son
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When confronted by his congregation, he proclaimed the beauty of his illegitimate child, holding him up naked in church
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popular literary figure
both Oxford and Cambridge Universities awarded him pensions as poet laureate
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In his poetry, Skelton plays on medieval traditions like the ballad but develops a distinctive style of his own
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distinctive that the verse he often uses is called a Skeltonic
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Skeltonic lines are usually iambic in rhythm, with about six syllables per line and the ends rhymed in couplets, triplets, and quatrains
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Critics believed that Skelton rhymed lines of poetry until he couldn't think of any more rhymes
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method produces to modern ears a poetry that sounds like doggerel (simple-minded and sing-song verse of a loose, irregular rhythm).
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