William St Clair
The Spirit of His Age
William Hazlitt: The First Modern Man
By Duncan Wu
Oxford University Press 557pp £25 order from our bookshop
Of the many famous authors who flourished in the so-called ‘Romantic’ period, William Hazlitt is among the most easily accessible. After two centuries he appears to speak to us directly, concisely, and without condescension. His writings are short, sharp, witty and merciless. As an English essayist he is unsurpassed. His quips have not dated – ‘There is nothing good to be had in the country, or if there is, they will not let you have it.’ Two of his works are enduring masterpieces: The Spirit of the Age, a series of profiles of his contemporaries, and Liber Amoris, his pain-filled autobiographical account of his love for Sarah Walker, who beckoned him across the social as well as the age and gender divides.
Sign Up to our newsletter
Receive free articles, highlights from the archive, news, details of prizes, and much more.@Lit_Review
Follow Literary Review on Twitter
'We may not be able to shield ourselves from irrational passions such as hatred, anger, envy, mockery and pride, or from the buffetings of circumstance, but we can rise above them by obtaining insight into their nature and their causes.'
https://literaryreview.co.uk/the-poetry-of-reason
Sign up to our e-newsletter!
Get highlights from the new issue and selected archive articles, as well as exclusive competitions and subscription offers delivered straight to your inbox.
https://literaryreview.co.uk/freenewsletter
'Some Labour MPs who were shocked by Corbyn’s rise behaved appallingly ... Not only were they disloyal; they also had no coherent strategy for removing Corbyn or an alternative left-of-centre project.'
@steverichards14 https://literaryreview.co.uk/the-accidental-leader