The Poetical Works of Thomas Hood

"The Poetical Works of Thomas Hood" by Thomas Hood is a collection of poems and writings authored during the early to mid-19th century. This anthology showcases Hood's adeptness at blending humor, pathos, and social commentary, reflecting the complexities of life and human emotion through rich imagery and thoughtful verse. The opening of the volume features a biographical introduction that sketches Hood's life, emphasizing his struggles with poor health, financial difficulties, and the profound impact of loss and love on his work. It highlights his early aspirations and eventual rise as a notable literary figure while providing a glimpse into his domestic affections and humorous disposition often masked by personal adversity. Through this introduction, readers gain insight into the poet's character and the poignant yet whimsical tone that his poems are likely to embody. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Thomas Hood was an English poet, author and humorist, best known for poems such as "The Bridge of Sighs" and "The Song of the Shirt". Hood wrote regularly for The London Magazine, Athenaeum, and Punch. He later published a magazine largely consisting of his own works. Hood, never robust, had lapsed into invalidism by the age of 41 and died at the age of 45. William Michael Rossetti in 1903 called him "the finest English poet" between the generations of Shelley and Tennyson. Hood was the father of the playwright and humorist Tom Hood (1835–1874) and the children's writer Frances Freeling Broderip (1830–1878).