Thomas Blackwell and the Foundation of Modern Literary History

Thomas Blackwell (1701–1757), a major, although inadequately recognised, writer, was professor of classics, later Principal, of Marischal College in Aberdeen, and author of three remarkable works: An Enquiry into the Life and Writings of Homer (1735), Letters Concerning Mythology (1748), and Memoirs of the Court of Augustus (1753–1763). Blackwell taught several leading figures of the Scottish Enlightenment, including Principal George Campbell, Alexander Gerard, and James Beattie, and he was an important influence on James Burnett (Lord Monboddo) and James Macpherson. The article considers his influence on the formal study of literature in the academy.