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''The Parables of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ Done into Familiar Verse, with Occasional Applications, for the Use and Improvement of Younger Minds'' was written by Christopher Smart and published in 1768. The ''Parables'' are a collection of parables from the Bible which includes lessons from both the Old and New Testament. The ''Parables'', as with ''Hymns for the Amusement of Children'', was part of Smart's attempt to create religious literature dedicated to children. ==Background== The ''Parables'' were printed in March 1768 and were advertised in the ''London Chronicle'' on 31 March 1768.〔''Poetical Works'' p. 201〕 They were dedicated to the young son of Christopher Smart's friend, Bonnell Thornton.〔 Bonnell Thorton was a close friend of Christopher Smart, and he worked with Smart on ''The Student'' magazine and supported Smart during and after his time in a mental asylum.〔 In the dedication, Smart wrote: :"There are sundry Instances of our Blessed SAVIOUR'S Fondness for Children, as a Man; and He has assured us, we can have no Part in Him without imitating their Innocence and Simplicity. This is so evident, that though you are yet scarce three Years of Age, you will soon be able to read and understand it: and in a Season will reflect, I trust, with Pleasure that you have been the Patron of a well-intended Work, almost as soon as you could go alone..."〔''Poetical Works'' p. 209〕 However, this dedication to a child of three incurred a review from the ''Monthly Review'' stating, "This version of the parables is, with great properiety, dedicated to Master ''Bonnell George Thorton'': a child of three years old", which was intended to mock the simplicity of the ''Parables''.〔 The ''Critical Review'' simply stated that the work revealed Christopher Smart's poetry as being "unequal" and of "the lower class", and while it "may certainly be of use" to children, it could not "please their imaginations, or improve their taste in poetry."〔 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 Parables of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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