Edward Young

Edward Young was an English poet and literary critic, best known for his ambitious blank verse poem 'The Complaint: or, Night-Thoughts on Life, Death, & Immortality,' commonly known as 'Night-Thoughts.' Born in Upham, Hampshire, he was educated at Winchester College and All Souls College, Oxford, where he became a fellow. He pursued a career in the church, eventually becoming rector of Welwyn in Hertfordshire. While Young wrote several other works, including satires and tragedies, 'Night-Thoughts' was his most influential and popular work, profoundly shaping the themes and style of the 'graveyard school' of poetry and influencing European Romanticism. His life was characterized by literary pursuits and clerical duties. He died in 1765 in Welwyn.