Lectures on the English Poets

by William Hazlitt

This is a pre-1923 historical reproduction that was curated for quality. Quality assurance was conducted on each of these books in an attempt to remove books with imperfections introduced by the digitization process. Though we have made best efforts - the books may have occasional errors that do not impede the reading experience. We believe this work is culturally important and have elected to bring the book back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide.

Genres: Poetry, Essays, Writing, Classics, Literary Criticism, Nonfiction, English Literature

220 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1818

About the author

William Hazlitt (1778-1830) was an English writer, remembered for his humanistic essays and literary criticism, and as a grammarian and philosopher. He is now considered one of the great critics and essayists of the English language, placed in the company of Samuel Johnson and George Orwell, but his work is currently little-read and mostly out of print. During his lifetime, he befriended many people who are now part of the 19th-century literary canon, including Charles and Mary Lamb, Stendhal, Samuel Taylor Coleridge and William Wordsworth.

Hazlitt was the son of the Unitarian minister and writer, William Hazlitt, who greatly influenced his work. Hazlitt's son, also called William Hazlitt, and grandson, William Carew Hazlitt, were also writers.

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name on Goodreads.

Reviews

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Early Lectures by Hazlitt on the English poets, from Shakespeare and Milton through the then-living Romantic poets.

[Jade · Rating 3 out of 5]

I used Hazlitt's criticism at uni for my dissertation. I found his contemporary opinions really an eye-opener in my search for the chameleon poet. As a close friend and confidante of Keats it was interesting to read Hazlitt's point of view on negative capability. Hazlitt is very articulate and intelligent; he has such an informed way of communicating that it is a joy to read his words.