Sir Thomas Browne

Book Review: Gavin Francis on Sir Thomas Browne

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By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)

When I founded this blog back in 2012, it was with the principal aim of challenging misconceptions and taking a closer look at some of the things we commonly take for granted about literature, language, and myths. But the desire to debunk misconceptions is probably as ancient an impulse as writing itself, and perhaps even older. Now, in the 21st century with so much information – and misinformation – all around us, that desire has become a necessary requirement.

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Sir Thomas Browne: The QI of His Day?

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He is credited with coining dozens of new words which are still in common use. He died on his birthday. Some of his writing was first published without his permission. His works, when first published in the seventeenth century, proved hugely successful and influential. This description could easily fit William Shakespeare, but it also fits a relatively unsung hero of literature, Sir Thomas Browne.

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