Geoffrey Whitney facts for kids

The badge, motto and autograph of Geoffrey Whitney

Geoffrey Whitney (born around 1548 – died around 1601) was an English poet. He is best known for his book, A Choice of Emblemes, which was very important for writers during the Elizabethan era.

Geoffrey Whitney's Life Story

Geoffrey Whitney was born around 1548 in a small village called Coole Pilate in Cheshire, England. His family had lived there for a long time. He went to school nearby in Audlem. After that, he studied at Oxford University and then at Magdalene College, Cambridge. He didn't finish with a degree, but he went on to study law in London.

Working Life and Travels

Whitney became a legal officer in Great Yarmouth around 1580. He held this job for about six years. During this time, he often visited the Netherlands and met many scholars there.

After leaving his job in Yarmouth, he moved to Leyden, a city in Holland. People there thought highly of him because he was very clever. In 1586, he became a student at the new Leyden University. Later that year, he published his famous book, A Choice of Emblemes. This book included many poems praising his patron, the Earl of Leicester.

Later Years

We don't know exactly how long Geoffrey Whitney stayed abroad. He eventually returned to England. He rented a farm near his birthplace in Cheshire. He wrote his will in September 1600 and passed away around May 1601. He never married.

Geoffrey's sister, Isabella Whitney, was also a writer. She wrote a book of poems called A Sweet Nosegay in 1573.

Whitney's Famous Poetry Book

Geoffrey Whitney's most important work is his celebrated emblem book. The full title was A Choice of Emblemes and other Devises, for the moste parte gathered out of sundrie writers, Englished and moralised, and divers newly devised, by Geffrey Whitney. It was published in Leyden in 1586.

An image from A Choice of Emblemes, 1586

What is an Emblem Book?

An emblem book combines pictures, short sayings (mottos), and poems. Each part works together to teach a moral lesson or idea. Whitney's book was the first important emblem book published in English. It helped English readers understand this popular European art form.

Influence and Contents

Whitney's book was very influential. For example, William Shakespeare learned a lot about emblem art from it. The book has 248 emblems. Each one includes a woodcut picture, a motto, and a poem in English.

Many of the pictures came from other famous emblem books. Some were from artists like Andrea Alciato and Claude Paradin. Whitney also created some original pictures and poems for his book.

Poems and Fables

The poems in the book are mostly six lines long. Some are shorter, like two-line sayings. They are often addressed to Whitney's friends or important people of his time. These poems give interesting details about people and places from that era.

Whitney's poems show he was very learned. Some are translations or adaptations of ancient writers like Horace and Ovid. His collection also includes many fables, which are stories with a moral lesson. These include well-known tales like The Dog in the Manger.

Whitney also had two other poems printed in a friend's book in 1586. One of these poems praised the book it was in, showing his unique writing style.