Selected Writings (Oxford World's Classics)
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Book Overview
William Hazlitt (1778-1830) developed a variety of identities as a writer: essayist, philosopher, critic of literature, drama and art, biographer, political commentator, and polemicist. Praised for his eloquence, he was also reviled by conservatives for his radical politics. This edition, thematically organized for ease of access, contains some of his best-known essays, such as "The Indian Jugglers" and "The Fight," as well as more obscure pieces on politics, philosophy, and culture.
Format:Paperback
Language:English
ISBN:0192838008
ISBN13:9780192838001
Release Date:March 1999
Publisher:Oxford University Press
Length:480 Pages
Weight:0.75 lbs.
Dimensions:5.0" x 1.0" x 7.6"
Customer Reviews
2 ratings
A superb collection
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 20 years ago
This small collection of prose reveals Hazlitt as one of the great writers in English. Here are superb essays on politics, poetry, art and philosophy. The criticism of Shakespeare and Wordsworth is a marvel to read, as are his devastating polemics "On Fashion" and "On Public Opinion." Hazlitt's prose is masterly; muscular yet nuanced. Just leafing through the collection your eye is caught by startling pieces of insight, eloquently expressed. Furthermore, his writing reveals not only a great deal of knowledge, but more importantly, wisdom, which is a quality perhaps lacking amongst some intellectuals! This point is made clear in one of his aphorisms, which are characteristically witty and paradoxical: "Buonaparte observes that the diplomatists of the new school were no match for those brought up under the ancien regime. The reason probably is, that the modern style of intellect inclines to abstract reasoning and general propositions, and pays less attention to individual character, interests, and circumstances. The moderns have, therefore...a greater knowledge of things, but less of the world."
Hazlitt!
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 25 years ago
William Hazlitt, though not much read today, remains one of the greatest prose stylists of the language, and with Dequincey, one of the two best of the romantic age. A must!
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