Born in Darley Abbey, near Derby,[2] Bage was the son of a paper-maker who had four wives, the first of whom was Bage's mother. She died soon after his birth. Bage received his early education at a common school in Derby, where he was an excellent student.[3] He attained a working knowledge of Latin by the age of seven. He was given his training as a paper-maker while he was an apprentice to his father. At the age of 23, Bage married a beautiful and wealthy young woman. With the boost in his finances he set up a paper-manufacturing business in Elford, Staffordshire, which he continued until his death.[4]
Bage was a skilled businessman and his smooth running of his business allowed him time for intellectual pursuits. He learned the French language on his own, through books, and studied mathematics. In 1765 he entered into a partnership in an iron foundry with three other men including Erasmus Darwin. After 14 years in business, the partnership was terminated, leaving Bage with a loss of more than 1,000 pounds. This was a considerable loss, and Bage decided to begin his career in literature partly to make up for it. He published his first novel, Mount Henneth, in 1781.[4]
Bage left Elford in 1793 and resided nearby in Tamworth. He died in 1801, and was survived by his wife and two of their sons. Another son, John, had died as a young man, a great affliction to Bage. His oldest son, Charles, settled in Shrewsbury, where he became a cotton manufacturer, and his youngest son, Edward, became a surgeon.[5]
Literary work and public lifeedit
It was not until he was 53 that he took to literature; however, in the 15 years following, he produced six novels, of which Sir Walter Scott said that "strong mind, playful fancy, and extensive knowledge are everywhere apparent." Scott included Mount Henneth (1781), Barham Downs (1784), and James Wallace (1792) in his series of Ballantyne novels. Bage was brought up as a Quaker, but he became a philosophical and religious radical after the French Revolution. He advocated democracy and equality (the abolition of the peerage), as well as the abolition of institutional religion. A member of the Derby Philosophical Society,[2] he was also associated with the Lunar Society of Birmingham.[6]
The work for which he is chiefly read today is Hermsprong, his last novel. Although regarded as radical at the time, it is somewhat disjointed. The first half has strong philosophical content, but in the second half the book, whilst retaining a strong satirical element, becomes more of a sentimental novel. The philosophical challenge of the novel is that it concerns an American who has been raised entirely by American Indians, without either formal education or religion. With only nature to teach him, he sees through the hypocrisy of society and English manners. It is notable for pursuing the theme of the noble savage and, in particular, "nativism" or innatism.
^Goss, John (2004), "A Biography of Robert Bage", Revolutionary Players, Museums, Libraries and Archives – West Midlands, retrieved 21 November 2009
^ abKelly, Gary (2006), "Bage, Robert (1728?–1801), businessman and novelist", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (Online ed.), Oxford University Press, retrieved 21 November 2009
^Porter, Roy (2000), Enlightenment: Britain and the Creation of the Modern World, London: Penguin Books (published 2001), p. 401, ISBN0-14-025028-X
Sourcesedit
Scott, Walter (1870). "Robert Bage". Lives of the Eminent Novelists and Dramatists. London: Frederick Warne. pp. 605–617.
External linksedit
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Robert Bage.
April 05, 2024
robert, bage, australian, polar, explorer, sometimes, known, bage, edward, frederick, march, 1730, september, 1801, english, businessman, novelist, born, 1730, march, 1730darley, abbey, derbyshire, englanddied1, november, 1801, 1801, aged, nationalityenglishoc. For the Australian polar explorer sometimes known as Bob Bage see Edward Frederick Robert Bage Robert Bage 11 March 1730 1 1 September 1801 was an English businessman and novelist Robert BageBorn 1730 03 11 11 March 1730Darley Abbey Derbyshire EnglandDied1 November 1801 1801 11 01 aged 71 NationalityEnglishOccupation s Businessman novelistNotable workHermsprong 1796 Contents 1 Biography 2 Literary work and public life 3 Bibliography 4 References 5 Sources 6 External linksBiography editBorn in Darley Abbey near Derby 2 Bage was the son of a paper maker who had four wives the first of whom was Bage s mother She died soon after his birth Bage received his early education at a common school in Derby where he was an excellent student 3 He attained a working knowledge of Latin by the age of seven He was given his training as a paper maker while he was an apprentice to his father At the age of 23 Bage married a beautiful and wealthy young woman With the boost in his finances he set up a paper manufacturing business in Elford Staffordshire which he continued until his death 4 Bage was a skilled businessman and his smooth running of his business allowed him time for intellectual pursuits He learned the French language on his own through books and studied mathematics In 1765 he entered into a partnership in an iron foundry with three other men including Erasmus Darwin After 14 years in business the partnership was terminated leaving Bage with a loss of more than 1 000 pounds This was a considerable loss and Bage decided to begin his career in literature partly to make up for it He published his first novel Mount Henneth in 1781 4 Bage left Elford in 1793 and resided nearby in Tamworth He died in 1801 and was survived by his wife and two of their sons Another son John had died as a young man a great affliction to Bage His oldest son Charles settled in Shrewsbury where he became a cotton manufacturer and his youngest son Edward became a surgeon 5 Literary work and public life editIt was not until he was 53 that he took to literature however in the 15 years following he produced six novels of which Sir Walter Scott said that strong mind playful fancy and extensive knowledge are everywhere apparent Scott included Mount Henneth 1781 Barham Downs 1784 and James Wallace 1792 in his series of Ballantyne novels Bage was brought up as a Quaker but he became a philosophical and religious radical after the French Revolution He advocated democracy and equality the abolition of the peerage as well as the abolition of institutional religion A member of the Derby Philosophical Society 2 he was also associated with the Lunar Society of Birmingham 6 The work for which he is chiefly read today is Hermsprong his last novel Although regarded as radical at the time it is somewhat disjointed The first half has strong philosophical content but in the second half the book whilst retaining a strong satirical element becomes more of a sentimental novel The philosophical challenge of the novel is that it concerns an American who has been raised entirely by American Indians without either formal education or religion With only nature to teach him he sees through the hypocrisy of society and English manners It is notable for pursuing the theme of the noble savage and in particular nativism or innatism Bibliography editMount Henneth 1781 Barham Downs 1784 The Fair Syrian 1787 James Wallace 1788 Man as he is 1792 Hermsprong 1796 References edit Goss John 2004 A Biography of Robert Bage Revolutionary Players Museums Libraries and Archives West Midlands retrieved 21 November 2009 a b Kelly Gary 2006 Bage Robert 1728 1801 businessman and novelist Oxford Dictionary of National Biography Online ed Oxford University Press retrieved 21 November 2009 Scott 1870 p 605 a b Scott 1870 p 606 Scott 1870 p 610 Porter Roy 2000 Enlightenment Britain and the Creation of the Modern World London Penguin Books published 2001 p 401 ISBN 0 14 025028 XSources editScott Walter 1870 Robert Bage Lives of the Eminent Novelists and Dramatists London Frederick Warne pp 605 617 External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Robert Bage Biography on Revolutionary Players website Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Robert Bage amp oldid 1204191348, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
