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Hymns for the Amusement of Children

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Hymns for the Amusement of Children was the final work completed by Christopher Smart. It was completed while Christopher was imprisoned for outstanding debt and is his final exploration of religion.

Background

On April 20, 1770, Christopher was arrested for debt.[1] On January 11, 1771, Christopher was soon recommended to the King's Bench Prison.[2] Although he was in prison, Charles Burney purchased the "Rules" (allowing him some freedom), and Christopher's final weeks may have been peaceful although pathetic.[3] Soon after, Christopher died, May 20, 1771, from either liver failure or pneumonia, after completing his final work, Hymns, for the Amusement of Children.[2]

It is unknown how many poems Christopher wrote before prison or during his final days, but at least one, titled "Against Despair" was produced during this time.[4] A different version of the poem was published after his death in the Gentleman's Magazine[5] This version included a note claiming, "Extempore by the late C. Smart, in the King's-Bench," which verifies that he was writing the hymns throughout this time, or, at least, editing them to create a better version.[4]

Christopher Smart's first children's hymn was "A Morning Hymn, for all the little good boys and girls" in the Lilliputian Magazine in 1751.[4] During this time, there were only two models for him to base his children's hymns off of, the works of Isac Watts and of Charles Wesley.[6] Watts's work attempted to amuse children while Wesley's attempted to simplify morality for them.[6]

Hymns for the Amusement of Children

Although he wrote his second set of hymns, Hymns for the Amusement of Children, for a younger audience, Christopher cares more about emphasizing the need for children to be moral instead of "innocent".[7] These works have been seem as possibly too complicated for "amusement" because they employee ambiguities and complicated theological concepts.[8] However, not all critics agree that the work is complex, and some view that the works would have fit the appropriate level for children in the 18th century.[6]

In essence, the Hymns for the Amusement of Children is intended to teach children the specific virtues that make up the subject matter of the work.[9] While trying to accomplish this goal, Christopher emphasizes the joy of creation and Christ's sacrifice that allowed for future salvation.[10]

Notes

  1. ^ Mounsey p. 271
  2. ^ a b Mounsey p. 272
  3. ^ Rizzo p. 515
  4. ^ a b c Poetical Works p. 309
  5. ^ Poetical Works p. 463
  6. ^ a b c Poetical Works p. 310
  7. ^ Curry p. 91
  8. ^ Booth p. 71
  9. ^ Curry p. 93
  10. ^ Prose Works p. 311

References

  • Booth, Mark W. "Syntax and Paradigm in Smart's Hymns for the Amusement of Children." In Christopher Smart and the Enlightenment, edited by Clement Hawes, 67-81. New York, NY: St. Martin's, 1999. 308 pp.
  • Curry, Neil. Christopher Smart. Devon: Northcote House Publishers, 2005. 128 pp.
  • Mounsey, Chris. Christopher Smart: Clown of God. Lewisburg: Bucknell University Press, 2001. 342 pp.
  • Rizzo, Betty. "Christopher Smart: A Letter and Lines from a Prisoner of the King's Bench." Review of English Studies: A Quarterly Journal of English Literature and the English Language 35, 140 (Nov. 1984): 510-16.
  • Smart, Christopher. The Poetical Works of Christopher Smart, II: Religious Poetry 1763-1771. Ed. Marcus Walsh and Karina Williamson. Oxford: Clarendon, 1983. 472 pp.
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