William Edmondstoune "W. E." Aytoun FRSE was a Scottish poet, lawyer by training, and professor of rhetoric and belles lettres at the University of Edinburgh. He published poetry, translation, prose fiction, criticism and satire and was a lifelong contributor to the Edinburgh literary periodical Blackwood's Magazine. He was also a collector of Scottish ballads.

Sydney Thompson Dobell was an English poet and critic, and a member of the so-called Spasmodic school.