Proposals for an English Academy

During the early part of the 17th century, and persisting in some form into the early 18th century, there were a number of proposals for an English Academy: some form of learned institution, conceived as having royal backing and a leading role in the intellectual life of the nation.[1] Definite calls for an English Academy came in 1617, based on the Italian model dating back to the 16th century; they were followed up later, after the 1635 founding of the French Académie, by John Dryden (1664), John Evelyn (1665), and Daniel Defoe (1697).[2][3]

  1. ^ Albert Croll Baugh, Thomas Cable, A History of the English Language (1993), pp. 259–265.
  2. ^ Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of English Usage (1995), p. 7a.
  3. ^ Gilman, E. Ward, ed. (1989). "A Brief History of English Usage". Webster's Dictionary of English Usage. Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster Inc. Publishers. pp. 7a–11a. Archived from the original on 1 December 2008. Retrieved 18 April 2009.