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''The Hilliad'' was Christopher Smart's mock epic poem written as a literary attack upon John Hill on 1 February 1753. The title is a play on Alexander Pope's ''The Dunciad'' with a substitution of Hill's name, which represents Smart's debt to Pope for the form and style of ''The Hilliad'' as well as a punning reference to the ''Iliad''. In "Book the First" of ''The Hilliad'', Hillario is seduced by a Sibyl to give up his career as an apothecary and instead becomes a writer. However, his fortune quickly descends with Hillario ultimately turning into the "arch-dunce". The origins of the work come from a dispute between Hill and Henry Fielding; a "paper war" that involved a widespread literary dispute, Hill turned his attention to Smart and published attacks upon Smart's ''Poems on Several Occasions''. In response, Smart wrote ''The Hilliad'', claiming it as the "balance due" on Hill's treatment towards his person and poetry. The work was responded to by multiple parties, but it was the last major contribution of Smart in the literary conflict and attacks upon Smart soon ceased. Although the work is only of one book that is 259 lines long, its "Notes Variorum" attached to the work more than doubles the length. It is unknown who contributed to the notes, but it is thought that Smart, along with Arthur Murphy and Henry Fielding, put them together. ==Background== (詳細はHenry Fielding and John Hill were involved with a dispute involving many London writers.〔''Poetical Works'' p. 443〕 Henry Fielding started a "paper war" in the first issue of ''The Covent-Garden Journal'' (4 January 1752) against "hack writers".〔 In response, John Hill claimed in the ''London Daily Advertiser'' (9 January 1752) that Henry Fielding proposed a fake paper war that would involve them "giving Blows that would not hurt, and sharing the Advantage in Silence."〔Bertelsen p. 135〕 Such an event is believed to have occurred (if it occurred) on 28 December 1751.〔Bertelsen p. 149〕 Regardless of the merits of either sides' claims, a war began that drew in many authors, such as Christopher Smart, Bonnell Thornton, William Kenrick, Arthur Murphy, and Tobias Smollett.〔 However, both Hill and Fielding had previously attacked Philip D'Halluin, and D'Halluin hired Bonnell Thorton, a friend of Smart's, to respond in kind.〔Bertelsen p. 138〕 Not far after Thorton's involvement in the dispute, a pamphlet in the ''London Daily Advertiser'' called ''The March of the Lion'', 29 January 1752, introduces Smart via a reference to his "Mrs. Mary Midnight" pseudonym, although Smart was not yet a participant.〔Bertelsen p. 139〕 During this conflict, Smart tried to publish his first collection, and the 851 people subscribers to Smart's ''Poems'' could not keep it from coming under attack.〔 In the August 1752 ''Monthly Review'', Hill derided the ''Poems'' and singled out ''The Hop-Garden'' for a particularly harsh review.〔Sherbo p. 89〕 Combined with other attacks, Hill began to provoke Smart into a literary conflict.〔Mounsey p. 131-132〕 On 11 November 1752, Smart announced his production of ''The Hilliad'' in the ''Gray's-Inn Journal''.〔Mounsey p. 134〕 Before the dispute, Smart had a mix relationship with Hill, but had a generally positive, lighthearted view of Fielding and his works.〔Bertelsen p. 136〕 Although Smart previously wrote "pro" and "anti" Fielding articles, it is possible that Smart was pushed towards writing ''The Hilliad'' by Arthur Murphy or Fielding.〔 By December of 1752, Smart was reading excerpts of the mock-epic poem "at Alehouses and Cyder Cellars" according to ''The Inspector'' of 7 December 1752.〔Bertelsen p. 144〕 The Hilliad was first published on 1 February 1753 (London) and later in May (Dublin).〔''Poetical Works'' p. 239〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア(Wikipedia)』 ■ウィキペディアで「The Hilliad」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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