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William Topaz McGonagall (1825 – 29 September 1902) was a Scottish weaver, actor and poet. Year 1825 ( MDCCCXXV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common Events 522 BC - Darius I of Persia kills the Magian usurper Gaumâta securing his hold as king of the Persian Empire. Year 1902 ( MCMII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting Scotland ( Gaelic: Alba) is a Country in northwest Europethat occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain. This article describes textile weaving For other senses of this word see Weaving (disambiguation. An actor, actress, player or thespian (see terminology) is a person who Acts in a Dramatic production and who works A poet is a person who writes Poetry. Etymology From the Ancient greek: ποιέω, poieō: "I make or compose" He is comically renowned as one of the worst poets in the English language. English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States

Contents

Life and poetry

Born in Edinburgh, of Irish parentage, McGonagall was working as a handloom weaver in Dundee, Scotland when an event occurred that was to change his life. Edinburgh ( ˈɛdɪnb(ərə Dùn Èideann) is the Capital of Scotland and is its second largest city after Glasgow. Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world A loom is a Machine or device for Weaving thread or Yarn into Textiles Looms can range from very small hand-held frames to large free-standing This article describes textile weaving For other senses of this word see Weaving (disambiguation. Dundee (Dùn Dèagh is the fourth-largest city in Scotland and fully named as Dundee City, one of Scotland's 32 local government council As he was later to write:

The most startling incident in my life was the time I discovered myself to be a poet, which was in the year 1877.

It was with this that he wrote his first poem An Address to the Rev. George Gilfillan, which showed all the hallmarks that would characterise his later work. George Gilfillan ( 30 January 1813 &ndash 13 August 1878) was a Scottish Author and Poet. Gilfillan commented "Shakespeare never wrote anything like this. "

McGonagall has been widely acclaimed as the worst poet in British history. A poet is a person who writes Poetry. Etymology From the Ancient greek: ποιέω, poieō: "I make or compose" The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located [1] The chief criticisms of his poetry are that he is deaf to poetic metaphor and unable to scan correctly. Metaphor (from the Greek: μεταφορά - metaphora, meaning "transfer" is language that directly compares seemingly unrelated subjects A system of scansion is a way to mark the metrical patterns of a line of Poetry. In the hands of lesser artists, this might simply generate dull, uninspiring verse. However, McGonagall's fame stems from the humorous effects these shortcomings generate. The inappropriate rhythms, weak vocabulary, and ill-advised imagery combine to make his work amongst the most spontaneously amusing comic poetry in the English language. Vagina Imagery is used in literature to refer to descriptive language that evokes sensory experience

Of the 200 or so poems that he wrote, the most famous is probably The Tay Bridge Disaster, which recounts the events of the evening of 28 December 1879, when, during a severe gale, the Tay Rail Bridge near Dundee collapsed as a train was passing over it. The Tay Bridge Disaster is an internationally-known Poem by the Scottish Poet William McGonagall, who has been widely acclaimed as Events 1065 - Westminster Abbey is Consecrated. 1308 - The reign of Emperor Hanazono, Emperor of Year 1879 ( MDCCCLXXIX) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common A gale is a very strong Wind. There are conflicting definitions of how strong The Tay Bridge (sometimes unofficially the Tay Rail Bridge) is a Railway Bridge approximately two and a quarter miles (three and a half kilometres

Beautiful Railway Bridge of the Silv'ry Tay!
Alas! I am very sorry to say
That ninety lives have been taken away
On the last Sabbath day of 1879,
Which will be remember'd for a very long time.

(Modern sources give the death toll as 75. ) One commentator remarked that "a lesser poet (one should note that the German poet Theodor Fontane did write a poem about this event as well) would have thought it was a good idea to write a poem about the Tay Bridge disaster. Theodor Fontane (ˈtʰeodoɐ̯ fɔnˈtaːnə December 30, 1819 – September 20, 1898) was a German Novelist and A lesser poet would have thought of conveying the shock of the people of Dundee. But only the true master could come up with a couplet like:

And the cry rang out all round the town,
Good heavens! The Tay Bridge has blown down. "

McGonagall had previously written a poem in praise of the Tay Bridge: The Railway Bridge of the Silvery Tay "With your numerous arches and pillars in so grand array". Once the new replacement bridge had been built, without the least feeling of irony, he proceeded to compose an ode to the new construction: An Address to the New Tay Bridge “Strong enough all windy storms to defy”.

He also campaigned vigorously against excessive drinking, appearing in pubs and bars to give edifying poems and speeches. These were very popular, the people of Dundee possibly recognising that McGonagall was "so giftedly bad he backed unwittingly into genius". [2]

"Poet-baiting" became a popular pastime in Dundee, but McGonagall seemed oblivious to the general opinion of his poems, even when his audience were pelting him with eggs and vegetables. It is possible, however, that he was shrewder than he is given credit for, and was playing along to his audience's perception of him, in effect making his recitals an early form of performance art. This article is about Performance art For other uses see Performance (disambiguation [3]

McGonagall also considered himself an actor, although the theatre where he performed, Mr Giles' Theatre, would only let him perform the title role in Macbeth if he paid for the privilege in advance. Macbeth is among the best-known of William Shakespeare 's plays, and is his shortest tragedy, believed to have been written some time between Their caution proved ill-founded however, as the theatre was filled with friends and fellow workers, anxious to see what they correctly predicted to be an amusing disaster. Although the play should have ended with Macbeth's death at the hands of Macduff, McGonagall believed that the actor playing Macduff was trying to upstage him, and so refused to die. Macduff is a Fictional character in Shakespeare 's play Macbeth. [4][5]

In 1892, following the death of Alfred, Lord Tennyson, he walked from Dundee to Balmoral, a distance of about 60 miles over mountainous terrain and through a violent thunderstorm, "wet to the skin", to ask Queen Victoria if he might be considered for the post of Poet Laureate. Alfred Tennyson 1st Baron Tennyson (6 August 1809 – 6 October 1892 was Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom and remains one of the most popular English poets Balmoral Castle is a large Estate house situated in the area of Aberdeenshire, Scotland known as Royal Deeside. Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901 was from 20 June 1837 the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland A Poet Laureate is a Poet officially appointed by a government and is often expected to compose poems for State occasions and other government events [6] Unfortunately, he was informed the Queen was not in residence, and returned home. In 1894, representatives of King Thibaw Min of Burma knighted him as Sir Topaz, Knight of the White Elephant of Burmah, a title he used in his advertising. Thibaw Min (သီပေါ‌မင်း born Maung Pu January 1, 1859 – December 19, 1916; or simply Thibaw, Burma, officially the Union of Myanmar ( pjìdàunzṵ mjàmmà nàinŋàndɔ̀ is the largest country by geographical area in mainland Southeast Asia. [3]

He died penniless in 1902 and was buried in an unmarked grave in Greyfriars Kirkyard in Edinburgh. Greyfriars_signjpg|thumb|right|250px|A sign at the entrance giving a brief history of the Kirkyard and its inhabitants]] Greyfriars Kirkyard is the Graveyard surrounding A grave-slab installed to his memory in 1999 is inscribed:

William McGonagall
'Poet and Tragedian
"I am your gracious Majesty
ever faithful to Thee,
William McGonagall, the Poor Poet,
That lives in Dundee. "

McGonagall in popular culture

Honours and memorials

McGonagall's home city of Dundee maintains several reminders of his life:

References

  1. ^ William McGonagall, World's Worst Poet: Selections from "Poetic Gems", Templegate Publishers, 1992. Year 1992 ( MCMXCII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar)
  2. ^ Stephen Pile, The Book of Heroic Failures
  3. ^ a b The Real McGonagall, by Gord Bambrick
  4. ^ White Elephant : Scotland Magazine Issue 5
  5. ^ McGonagall Online: McGonagall the Heroic Failure
  6. ^ McGonagall, Wm More Poetic Gems Dundee 1962
  7. ^ The Poet McTeagle
  8. ^ 1999: Accio Quote!, the largest archive of J.K. Rowling interviews on the web
  9. ^ William Topaz McGonagall Supper - June 12, 1997
  10. ^ http://www.dundeecity.gov.uk/events/evx060632.htm
  11. ^ Google Maps
  12. ^ Rampant Scotland Newsletter - 5 April 2003
  13. ^ Dundee City Council, Scotland - Central Library, Local History Centre, William McGonagall, Poet and Tragedian

See also

External links


Persondata
NAMEMcGonagall, William
ALTERNATIVE NAMESMcGonagall, William Topaz
SHORT DESCRIPTIONweaver, actor, poet
DATE OF BIRTH1825
PLACE OF BIRTHEdinburgh
DATE OF DEATH1902-09-29
PLACE OF DEATHEdinburgh?
This article describes textile weaving For other senses of this word see Weaving (disambiguation. An actor, actress, player or thespian (see terminology) is a person who Acts in a Dramatic production and who works A poet is a person who writes Poetry. Etymology From the Ancient greek: ποιέω, poieō: "I make or compose" Edinburgh ( ˈɛdɪnb(ərə Dùn Èideann) is the Capital of Scotland and is its second largest city after Glasgow. Edinburgh ( ˈɛdɪnb(ərə Dùn Èideann) is the Capital of Scotland and is its second largest city after Glasgow.
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