University
Wits refer to a group of pre-Shakespearean writer scholars who contributed much
to the flourish of English literature. These scholars are called the University
Wits as they were the alma maters of either the University of Oxford or the
University of Cambridge. During their lifetimes, they were not known as the “University
Wits”. It was George Saintsbury who first coined the term “University Wits.”
English literature is the fruit of numerous notable scholars in different times and ages. The group of university scholars who contributed much to the development of English literature includes:
(i) George Peele
(ii) Robert Greene
(iii) Thomas Nash
(iv) Thomas Lodge
(v) Thomas Kyd
(vi) Christopher Marlowe
(vii) John Lyly
