The Fight and Other Writings

by William Hazlitt, Tom Paulin (Introduction), David Chandler (Editor)

Hazlitt is one of the greatest masters of English prose style and this new selection demonstrates the variety and richness of his writing. The volume includes classic pieces of drama and literature criticism, such as his essays on Shakespeare and Coleridge, as well as less well-known material from his social and political journalism. This collection encourages the reader to reconsider the nature of critical writing, which Hazlitt transforms into an art form.

Genres: Essays, Classics, 19th Century, Literature, Journalism, Nonfiction, Literary Criticism

656 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2005

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

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

Only read a small selection for now. ‘My First Acquaintance with Poets’ in particular is so tender, so powerful, yet also so funny. The anecdote about Wordsworth demolishing a Cheshire cheese and then declaring he is a man who understands the good things in life, probably shouldn’t be my most memorable part, but it shows how Hazlitt softens the marble busts, revealing the human beings behind the great figures.

[mytwocents · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are not many authors who can give as good as Hazlitt does, crushing insults and uick wits make him a polemic to be feared, sometimes it feels like he is arguing against his own view just to see if he can convince himself that he is wrong.

[Josiah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Above all very good fun. Hazlitt would be excellent company in the pub.

[Anthony Cordova · Rating 5 out of 5]

I find him illuminating on even the most well worn and too-familiar of topics. He seems to always have something worthwhile to say. He made a habit of surprising me.

[Lotte]

had to read this for my book club