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Of the glittering, licentious court around King Charles II, John Wilmot, the second Earl of Rochester, was the most notorious. Simultaneously admired and vilified, he personified the rake-hell. Libertine, profane, promiscuous, he shocked his pious contemporaries with his doubts about religion and his blunt verses that dealt with sex or vicious satiric assaults on the high and mighty of the court. This account of Rochester and his times provides the facts behind his legendary reputation as a rake and his deathbed repentance. However, it also demonstrates that he was a loving if unfaithful husband, a devoted father, a loyal friend, a serious scholar, a social critic, and an aspiring patriot. An Emeritus professor of English at the University of Rochester, James William Johnson is the author or editor of nine books and many articles treating British and American Literature.
| Price | Condition | Delivery | Seller | Action |
| $99.99 | Digital |
| WonderClub |
Jaime Cooke
reviewed A Profane Wit on January 12, 2014
A Profane Wit
I'll be honest, here: I LIKE boys. By 'boys,' however, I truly mean 'men,' so let there be no misunderstanding, but sometimes I prefer to refer to the bad ones as 'boys' as in the old standby, "bad boys." There is something about bad boys that redeems them, and in spite of everything bad about the subject of James William Johnson's biography of the Earl of Rochester, there is good, too.
This was a case of movie-sparks-an-interest-in-true-story, and after catching Johnny Depp's performance in The Libertine, my curiosity was piqued. Just who was this earl, and was he truly as bad as what Depp depicts him? While A Profane Wit sometimes reads like a textbook -- lots of history, and the spark must come from the student -- the history was necessary, or at least for this student, me. So little I know of the period of Charles II, aside from what we do get from our textbooks or coursework, or a film here and there.
Enjoyed A Profane Wit as much, or more, than what Depp even portrayed in the film, largely in part because I always find myself rallying for an underdog, and the Earl of Rochester, in spite of his wealth and position, was an underdog -- if only to the rank of his King, Charles II. But, the earl accomplishes much, if only in getting across that while he may be 'bad,' he does have revealing qualities, the least of which is hardly that he is brilliant. He is. This Libertine thinks circles around the circles into which his class and station often confine him.
For the history buff, a good read. For the women who like 'bad boys,' a great read.
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Add A Profane Wit, Of the glittering, licentious court around King Charles II, John Wilmot, the second Earl of Rochester, was the most notorious. Simultaneously admired and vilified, he personified the rake-hell. Libertine, profane, promiscuous, he shocked his pious contemp, A Profane Wit to the inventory that you are selling on WonderClubX
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Add A Profane Wit, Of the glittering, licentious court around King Charles II, John Wilmot, the second Earl of Rochester, was the most notorious. Simultaneously admired and vilified, he personified the rake-hell. Libertine, profane, promiscuous, he shocked his pious contemp, A Profane Wit to your collection on WonderClub |