James Henry Leigh Hunt (1784–1859) was an English poet, essayist, critic and editor. With his brother he ran the newspaper The Examiner, and in 1813 he was imprisoned for two years for criticising the Prince Regent — he famously decorated his prison room with flowers and wallpaper and kept on writing. He was a friend and early supporter of John Keats and Percy Bysshe Shelley. His best-known poems include Abou Ben Adhem and Jenny Kiss'd Me. The Glove and the Lions was published in 1836 in The New Monthly Magazine. The same old story was also told by the German poet Friedrich Schiller (Der Handschuh, 1797) and later by Robert Browning (The Glove, 1845).
Worked examples
Example 1 (MCQ, 1 mark). Leigh Hunt was a friend and early supporter of which two poets? (a) Wordsworth and Coleridge (b) Keats and Shelley (c) Browning and Tennyson (d) Frost and Longfellow.
Solution. (b). Hunt supported John Keats and Percy Bysshe Shelley.
Example 2 (short answer, 2 marks). Write two facts about Leigh Hunt.
Model answer. Leigh Hunt (1784 to 1859) was an English poet, essayist and critic who edited the newspaper The Examiner. In 1813 he was imprisoned for two years for criticising the Prince Regent.
Why this scores: two correct facts with the right dates, one mark each.
Example 3 (personal response, 3 marks). Hunt kept writing even in prison. Why might a writer like him enjoy telling the story of a knight who speaks his mind before the whole court?
Model answer. Hunt was imprisoned for criticising a ruler, yet he went on writing. De Lorge also acts on his own judgement in front of the whole court and does not fear what others think. This may be one reason the story appealed to Hunt.
Why this scores: it uses a fact about Hunt (1 mark), links it to de Lorge's action (1 mark) and shows caution with "may" (1 mark).
Doubts cleared
Q. Did Hunt invent this story? No. It is an old tale. Schiller wrote it as Der Handschuh in 1797 and Browning as The Glove in 1845. Hunt's version appeared in 1836.
Q. Is the poem French because the king is French? No. The poet is English. The story is set in France because it comes from an old tale about the court of Francis I.
Q. Do I need to learn the poet's other poems? No. A few facts about his life and the year of this poem are enough. Questions are about the poem's text.
Mistakes to avoid
- Mixing up the dates: Hunt lived from 1784 to 1859, and the poem was published in 1836.
- Giving Browning or Schiller as the author because their versions of the story are famous. This poem is by Leigh Hunt.
- Calling Hunt a French or American poet. He was English.
Check yourself
- In which year was The Glove and the Lions published?
- Name Hunt's newspaper.
- Why was Hunt put in prison?
Answers: 1. 1836. 2. The Examiner. 3. For criticising the Prince Regent (1813).