1808 in literature

This article contains information about the literary events and publications of 1808.

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Events

• January 3 – The Examiner, "A Sunday paper, on politics, domestic economy, and theatricals", is established in London by John Hunt, edited by his brother Leigh Hunt.
• January 30 – The Théâtre St. Philippe opens in New Orleans, United States.[1]
• September 20 – The first Theatre Royal, Covent Garden in London, established in 1732, is destroyed by fire along with most of the scenery, costumes and scripts. Rebuilding begins in December.

Uncertain date

• Charles Thomson's Bible Translation from the Greek (Holy Bible, containing the Old and New Covenant) is printed by Jane Aitken in Philadelphia (United States).[2]

New books

Fiction

• James Norris Brewer – Mountville Castle[3]
• Stéphanie Félicité, comtesse de Genlis – The Earl of Cork
• Sarah Green – Tankerville Family[4]
• Elizabeth Hamilton – The Cottagers of Glenburnie[5]
• Heinrich von Kleist – Die Marquise von O...[6]
• Francis Lathom – The Northern Gallery
• Charles Maturin – The Wild Irish Boy
• Karoline Pichler – Agathocles
• Elizabeth Thomas – The Husband and Wife

Children

• Ann Taylor and Jane Taylor – Hymns for Infant Minds

Drama

• James Nelson Barker – The Indian Princess[7]
• Matthäus Casimir von Collin – Belas Krieg mit dem Vater (Béla's War with His Father)[8]
• Johann Wolfgang von Goethe – Faust: The First Part of the Tragedy (published)
• Heinrich von Kleist
  • Penthesilea
  • The Broken Jug (Der zerbrochne Krug)
• Adam Oehlenschläger
  • Baldur hin Gode
  • Hakon Jarl

Poetry

• William Blake – Milton (probable date)
• Friedrich Schiller – revised version of "Ode to Joy", which formed the basis for the lyrics of Beethoven's 9th Symphony
• Friedrich Hölderlin
  • "Der Rhein"
  • "Patmos"
• Walter Scott – Marmion

Non-fiction

• Charles Fourier – The Theory of the Four Movements
• J. F. Fries – Neue oder anthropologische Kritik der Vernunft (New Critique of Reason)
• Johann Heinrich Jung – Theorie der Geisterkunde
• Karl Wilhelm Friedrich von Schlegel – Über die Sprache und Weisheit der Indier
• Gotthilf Heinrich von Schubert – Ansichten von der Nachtseite der Naturwissenschaft

Births

• January 27 – David Strauss, German theologian and writer (died 1874)
• February 5 – Carl Spitzweg, German poet (died 1885)
• February 16 – Gustave Planche, French critic (died 1857)
• March 22 – Caroline Norton (née Caroline Sheridan), English poet, pamphleteer and social reformer (died 1877)
• March 25 – José de Espronceda, Spanish poet (died 1842)
• April 18 – Teréz Karacs, Hungarian novelist, poet and memoirist (died 1892)
• May 22 – Gérard de Nerval, French poet and translator (died 1855)[9]
• June 17 – Henrik Wergeland, Norwegian poet (died 1845)[10]
• June 21 – John Critchley Prince, English poet (died 1866)
• June 22 – Xavier Marmier, French writer and translator (died 1892)
• June 28 – James Spedding, English author and editor (died 1881)
• July 10 – Solomon Northup, African-American memoirist (died c. 1864)
• September 9 – Wendela Hebbe, Swedish playwright, journalist and novelist (died 1899)
• October 21 – Julia Maitland, English writer on India and children's writer (died 1864)
• November 2 – Jules Amédée Barbey d'Aurevilly, French novelist (died 1889)
• Unknown date – Harriet Ward, English non-fiction and fiction writer (died 1873)

Deaths

• February 12 – Anna Maria Bennett, English novelist (born c. 1760)
• April 4 – Lady Charlotte Murray, English writer and botanist (born 1854)
• May 2 – John Collins, English poet and entertainer (born 1742)
• September 5 – John Home, Scottish poet (born 1722)
• September 13 – Saverio Bettinelli, Italian man of letters (born 1718)
• September 25 – Richard Porson, English classicist (born 1757)
• November 4 – Melchiore Cesarotti, Italian poet (born 1730)
• December 28 – John Duncan, English miscellanist (born 1721)
• c. November/December – Nólsoyar Páll, Faroese merchant and poet, lost at sea (born 1766)

Uncertain date

• Maria Riddell – West Indies-born poet, naturalist and travel writer (born 1772)

References

1. Karyl Lynn Zietz; Karyl Charna Lynn (1995). Opera Companies and Houses of the United States: A Comprehensive, Illustrated Reference. McFarland. ISBN 978-0-89950-955-6.
2. Appleby, Joyce Oldham (2002). Encyclopedia of Women in American History. Sharpe Reference. p. 41. ISBN 978-0-7656-8038-9.
3. Peter Garside; James Raven; Rainer Schöwerling; Antonia Forster (2000). The English Novel, 1770-1829: 1800-1829. Oxford University Press. p. 268. ISBN 978-0-19-818318-1.
4. Peter Garside; James Raven; Rainer Schöwerling; Antonia Forster (2000). The English Novel, 1770–1829: 1800–1829. Oxford University Press. p. 273. ISBN 978-0-19-818318-1.
5. Susan B. Egenolf (2009). The Art of Political Fiction in Hamilton, Edgeworth, and Owenson. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. p. 129. ISBN 978-0-7546-6203-7.
6. Seán Allan (2001). The Stories of Heinrich Von Kleist: Fictions of Security. Camden House. p. 172. ISBN 978-1-57113-227-7.
7. Various (1 August 1997). Early American Drama. Penguin Publishing Group. p. 109. ISBN 978-1-101-17721-1.
8. Conversations-Lexicon: in zwei Bänden. A - Cz, [und im Anhange Artikel über die katholischen Glaubenslehren von A - D]. 1,1 (in German). Brockhaus. 1822. p. 688.
9. John Flower (17 January 2013). Historical Dictionary of French Literature. Scarecrow Press. p. 365. ISBN 978-0-8108-7945-4.
10. Norwegian and Swedish Poems. Bergen. 1872. p. 41.