Biography James Thomson

Poet Biography

James Thomson was the most celebrated Scottish poet of the 1700's until Robert Burns. In 1725, he traveled from Scotland to London where he published his masterpiece, The Seasons (1726-1730, revised 1744-1746). Thomson broke with the witty artificial poetic style of his day. He turned to nature for his subject matter, and wrote fresh, vivid descriptions of natural scenes in rich blank verse. This style led to the romantic movement later in the 1700's. Thomson was born in Ednam in the Scottish lowlands.