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Works
The Complete Works of Thomas BrowneSir Thomas Browne was an English polymath and author of varied works which reveal his wide learning in diverse fields including science and medicine, religion and the esoteric. His writings display a deep curiosity towards the natural world, influenced by the scientific revolution of Baconian enquiry.
This collection includes the following and Letters on the Natural History of NorfolkThe Works of Sir Thomas Browne (Volume 1 of 3)The Works of Sir Thomas Browne (Volume 2 of 3)The Works of Sir Thomas Browne (Volume 3 of 3)Lectures on the Philosophy of the Human Mind (Vol. 1 of 3)Religio Medici, Hydriotaphia, and the Letter to a FriendMemoirs of the Life of the Rt. Hon. Richard Brinsley Sheridan
This collection includes the following and Letters on the Natural History of NorfolkThe Works of Sir Thomas Browne (Volume 1 of 3)The Works of Sir Thomas Browne (Volume 2 of 3)The Works of Sir Thomas Browne (Volume 3 of 3)Lectures on the Philosophy of the Human Mind (Vol. 1 of 3)Religio Medici, Hydriotaphia, and the Letter to a FriendMemoirs of the Life of the Rt. Hon. Richard Brinsley Sheridan
626 pages, Paperback
Published August 31, 2012
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About the author
Thomas Browne
649 books128 followersSir Thomas Browne (1605–1682) was an English polymath and author of works on various subjects, including science, medicine, religion and esoteric.
Browne's writings display a deep curiosity towards the natural world, influenced by the scientific revolution of Baconian enquiry. Browne's literary works are permeated by references to Classical and Biblical sources as well as the idiosyncrasies of his own personality. Although often described as suffering from melancholia, his writings are also characterised by wit and subtle humour, while his literary style is varied, according to genre, resulting in a rich, unique prose which ranges from rough notebook observations to polished Baroque eloquence.
After graduating M.A. from Broadgates Hall, Oxford (1629), he studied medicine privately and worked as an assistant to an Oxford doctor. He then attended the Universities of Montpellier and Padua, and in 1633 he was graduated M.D. at Leiden.
Browne's medical education in Europe also earned him incorporation as M.D. from Oxford, and in 1637 he moved to Norwich, where he lived and practiced medicine until his death in 1682. While Browne seems to have had a keen intellect and was interested in many subjects, his life was outwardly uneventful, although during the Civil War he declared his support for King Charles I and received a knighthood from King Charles II in 1671.
Browne's writings display a deep curiosity towards the natural world, influenced by the scientific revolution of Baconian enquiry. Browne's literary works are permeated by references to Classical and Biblical sources as well as the idiosyncrasies of his own personality. Although often described as suffering from melancholia, his writings are also characterised by wit and subtle humour, while his literary style is varied, according to genre, resulting in a rich, unique prose which ranges from rough notebook observations to polished Baroque eloquence.
After graduating M.A. from Broadgates Hall, Oxford (1629), he studied medicine privately and worked as an assistant to an Oxford doctor. He then attended the Universities of Montpellier and Padua, and in 1633 he was graduated M.D. at Leiden.
Browne's medical education in Europe also earned him incorporation as M.D. from Oxford, and in 1637 he moved to Norwich, where he lived and practiced medicine until his death in 1682. While Browne seems to have had a keen intellect and was interested in many subjects, his life was outwardly uneventful, although during the Civil War he declared his support for King Charles I and received a knighthood from King Charles II in 1671.
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February 16, 2016
English prose as Baroque altarpiece. Polychrome gorgeousness. Tumultuous masses of gold, alabaster, jasper and marble. I've never encountered writing so artful. Every word--singly by its sound or shape, or communally in its juxtaposition with others--tugs a chord, releases an echo. Lytton Strachey once demurred to defend Browne against detractors by saying that you either like an ornate style or you don't, there's no use trying to convert or dissuade. If you happen to like "baroque" prose--prose that sets every element in an erotic motion--then there is no more potent drug than Browne.
Displaying 1 of 1 review