Klopstock, Friedrich Gottlieb, 1724-1803 (Library of Congress Name Authority)—

Germany's first major poet of the eighteenth-century, Klopstock was a significant influence on the Sturm und Drang poetic movement to follow. A few of his most important works include The Messiah (1748-1773); a number of religiously inspired stage tragedies, especially The Death of Adam (1757), Solomon (1764), and David (1772); and a large body of shorter poetry. His essay, "On Divine Poetry," written as an introduction to The Messiah, inaugurates a new critical concern with the emotional effects of poetry in its claim that a work of genius must "move the soul."

Kemble, John Philip, 1757-1823 (Library of Congress Name Authority)—

Popular English actor, theatre manager, and member of the significant Kemble theatrical family. Kemble's popularity dramatically increased in 1785 after acting opposite of his renowned sister, Sarah Siddons, in a production of Shakespeare's Macbeth. As the manager of the Drury Lane and Covent Garden theatres in London, Kemble's innovations led to improvement in the reputation of the theatrical profession.