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Not to be confused with William Carew Hazlitt. William Carew Hazlitt, ( August 22, 1834 - September 8, 1913) was an English Bibliographer.
William Hazlitt, selfportait made circa 1802
William Hazlitt, selfportait made circa 1802

William Hazlitt (10 April 1778 – 18 September 1830) was an English writer remembered for his humanistic essays and literary criticism. Events 879 - Louis III becomes King of the Western Franks. 1407 - the lama Year 1778 ( MDCCLXXVIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or Events 96 - Nerva is proclaimed Roman Emperor after Domitian is assassinated For the game see 1830 (board game. Year 1830 ( MDCCCXXX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display A writer is anyone who creates a written work although the word usually designates those who write creatively or professionally as well as those who have written in many different forms An essay is usually a short piece of writing It is often written from an author's personal point of view. Literary criticism is the study discussion evaluation and interpretation of Literature. Hazlitt was a promninent English literary critic, grammarian and philosopher.

Contents

Background

Hazlitt came from a branch of Irish Protestant stock that moved in the reign of George I from the county of Antrim to Tipperary. Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world Protestantism refers to the forms of Christian faith and practice that originated in the 16th century Protestant Reformation. George I (George Louis German Georg Ludwig; 28 May 1660 &ndash 11 June 1727 For the first year of his life George was the only heir to his father's and three childless County Antrim ( Contae Aontroma or simply Aontroim in Irish) is one of six counties that form Northern Ireland, and one of nine counties Tipperary ( Irish: Tiobraid Árann, lit "The well of Arra" is the name of a town (pop 4546 in the south-west of County Tipperary, Ireland His father, also a William Hazlitt, went to the University of Glasgow (where he was contemporary with Adam Smith), from which he received a master's degree in 1760. The University of Glasgow (Oilthigh Ghlaschu was founded in 1451 in Glasgow, Scotland and along with its contemporary institutions the University of St Andrews Adam Smith ( baptised 16 June 1723 – 17 July 1790) was a Scottish moral philosopher and a pioneer of Political economy. Not entirely content with his Presbyterian faith, he became a Unitarian, joined their ministry, and crossed over to England, where he could minister to other Unitarians. Presbyterianism is a family of Christian denominations within the Reformed branch of Protestant Western Christianity England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland In 1764 he was pastor at Wisbech in Cambridgeshire, where in 1766 he married Grace Loftus, daughter of a recently deceased ironmonger. Wisbech ('wɪzbiʧ is a market town and inland port with a population of about 20000 in the Fenland area of Cambridgeshire. History Cambridgeshire is noted as the site of some of the earliest known Neolithic permanent settlement in the United Kingdom, along with sites at Fengate Of their many children, only three survived infancy. The first of these, John (later known as a portrait painter) was born in 1767 at Marshfield in Gloucestershire, where the Reverend William Hazlitt had accepted a new pastorate after his marriage. History See also History of Gloucestershire Gloucestershire is a historic county mentioned in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle in the 10th century In 1770, the elder Hazlitt accepted yet another position and moved with his family to Maidstone, Kent, where his first and only surviving daughter, Margaret (usually known as "Peggy"), was born that year. Maidstone is the County town of Kent, England, south-east of London. KENT (1400 AM) is a Radio station broadcasting a Adult Standards/MOR format [1]

Childhood

William, the youngest of these, was born in Mitre Lane, Maidstone, in 1778. In 1780, when he was two, his family began a migratory existence that was to last several years. From Maidstone his father took them to Bandon, County Cork, Ireland; and from Bandon in 1783 to America, where Mr. Bandon ( Droichead na Bandan in Irish) is a town in County Cork, Ireland. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Hazlitt preached, lectured, and founded the First Unitarian Church at Boston. In 1786-1787 the family returned to England and took up their abode at Wem, in Shropshire. Year 1786 ( MDCCLXXXVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Year 1787 ( MDCCLXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Wem is a small Market town in Shropshire, England. It is the administrative centre of North Shropshire District Council which has its Shropshire (ˈʃrɒpʃɪə/ /-ʃə alternatively known as Salop or abbreviated in print only Shrops, is a county in the The elder son, John, was now old enough to choose a vocation, and became a miniature-painter. The second child, Peggy, had begun to paint also, amateurishly in oils. William, aged eight – a child out of whose recollection all memories of Bandon and of America (save the taste of barberries) soon faded – took his education at home and at a local school.

Education

His father intended him for the Unitarian ministry, and in 1793 sent him to a seminary on what was then the outskirts of London, the New Unitarian College at Hackney (commonly referred to as Hackney College). London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. Hackney College is a remarkably imprecise term It is generally used not wholly incorrectly to refer to Hackney Community College, an institute of adult and further education [2] He stayed there for only about two years,[3] but during that time the young Hazlitt read widely and formed habits of independent thought and respect for the truth that remained with him for life, the tutelage at Hackney having been strongly influenced by eminent Dissenting thinkers of the day like Richard Price and Joseph Priestley. English Dissenters were Christians who separated from the Church of England. Richard Price ( February 23, 1723 &ndash April 19, 1791) was a Welsh moral and political philosopher Joseph Priestley (13 March 1733 ( Old [4]

The curriculum at Hackney included a grounding in the Greek and Latin classics, mathematics, and, of course, religion. The Ancient Greek language is the historical stage in the development of the Hellenic language family spanning the Archaic (c Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. "Classical literature" redirects here For literature in Classical languages outside the Graeco-Roman sphere see Ancient literature. Mathematics is the body of Knowledge and Academic discipline that studies such concepts as Quantity, Structure, Space and A religion is a set of Tenets and practices often centered upon specific Supernatural and moral claims about Reality, the Cosmos Priestley, whom he had read and was also one of his teachers, was an impassioned commentator on political issues of the day. Politics Politics is the process by which groups of people make decisions This, along with the turmoil in the wake of the French Revolution, sparked in Hazlitt and his classmates lively debates on these issues, as they saw their world being transformed around them. The French Revolution (1789–1799 was a period of political and social upheaval in the History of France, during which the French governmental structure previously an Hazlitt's thoughts on these political concerns stayed with him, becoming an important part of his thinking. [5]

Other changes were taking place within the young Hazlitt as well. While, out of respect for his father, Hazlitt never openly broke with his religion, he suffered a loss of faith, and was forced to leave Hackney before completing his preparation for the ministry. [6]

The Young Philosopher

Returning home, around 1795, his thoughts were directed in more secular channels, encompassing not only politics but, increasingly, modern philosophy, which he had begun to read with fascination at Hackney. Philosophy is the study of general problems concerning matters such as existence knowledge truth beauty justice validity mind and language He spent much of his time in intensive study of English, Scottish, and Irish thinkers like Locke, Hartley, Berkeley, and David Hume, and French thinkers like Helvétius, Condillac, Condorcet, and Baron d'Holbach. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Scotland ( Gaelic: Alba) is a Country in northwest Europethat occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain. Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world John Locke (29 August 1632 – 28 October 1704 was an English Philosopher. David Hartley (June 21 1705&ndashAugust 28 1757 was an English philosopher and founder of the Associationist school of Psychology George Berkeley (ˈbɑrkli (12 March 1685 14 January 1753 also known as Bishop Berkeley, was a Philosopher. David Hume (26 April 1711 25 August 1776 Scottish Philosopher, Economist, and Historian is an important figure in Western philosophy Legal residents and citizens To be French according to the first article of the Constitution is to be a citizen of France regardless of one's origin race or religion ( Claude Adrien Helvétius (26 February 1715&ndash26 December 1771 was a French Philosopher and Litterateur. Étienne Bonnot de Condillac (30 September 1715 - 3 August 1780 was a French Philosopher. Paul-Henri Thiry baron d'Holbach ( 1723 – 1789) was a French - German Author, Philosopher and Encyclopedist. [7] From then on Hazlitt's goal was to become a philosopher. His thoughts were focused on man as a social and political animal, and, even more intensely, on the philosophy of mind, what would later be called psychology. Psychology (from Greek grc ψῡχή psȳkhē, "breath life soul" and grc -λογία -logia) is an Academic and

In this period he discovered Rousseau, who became one of the most important influences on the budding philosopher's thought, and Edmund Burke, whose writing style impressed him enormously. Edmund Burke ( 12 January, 1729 9 July, 1797) was an Irish statesman author orator Political theorist, and [8] He was painstakingly working out a treatise on the "natural disinterestedness of the human mind", [9] meant to disprove the idea that man is naturally selfish, a fundamental concept in most of the philosophy of the day. [10] Hazlitt's treatise was not to see the light of day for a number of years, after further reading, and after other changes had occurred to alter the course of his career, but to the end of his life he would think of himself as a philosopher. [11]

Around 1796, Hazlitt was encouraged and inspired by a retired clergyman who had become a reformer of note, Joseph Fawcett. Joseph Fawcett (c1758 – 24 January 1804) was an eighteenth-century British Presbyterian minister and poet Hazlitt was awed by the enormous breadth of Fawcett's tastes. From Fawcett, in the words of biographer Ralph Wardle, he imbibed a love for "good fiction and impassioned writing," Fawcett being "a man of keen intelligence who did not scorn the products of the imagination or apologize for his tastes. " They discussed the radical thinkers of their day, and, important for understanding the breadth and depth of Hazlitt's own taste in his later critical writings, everything literary from John Milton's Paradise Lost to Laurence Sterne's Tristram Shandy. John Milton ( 9 December, 1608 – 8 November, 1674) was an English Poet, Prose Polemicist and Paradise Lost is an Epic poem in Blank verse by the 17th-century English poet John Milton. Laurence Sterne ( November 24, 1713 &ndash March 18, 1768) was an Irish -born English Novelist and an Anglican The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy Gentleman (or more briefly Tristram Shandy) is a novel by Laurence Sterne. [12]

Somewhat earlier, he had also met William Godwin, the reformist thinker whose Political Justice took the thinking world by storm at this time. William Godwin ( 3 March 1756 &ndash 7 April 1836) was an English journalist political philosopher and Novelist Enquiry Concerning Political Justice and its Influence on Modern Morals and Manners (1793 outlines the Political philosophy of the eighteenth-century philosopher Hazlitt was never to feel entirely in sympathy with Godwin's philosophy, but it gave him much food for thought. [13]

Besides residing with his father while trying to find his voice and work out his thoughts as a philosopher, he often in these years stayed with his older brother John, who had studied under Sir Joshua Reynolds and was following a career as a portrait painter. Sir Joshua Reynolds RA FRS FRSA (16 July 1723 &ndash 23 February 1792 was the most important and influential of 18th century English painters He also spent delighted evenings at the theatre in London then,[14] but did not yet know how this too would be important to his later writing. Mostly at this time he led a contemplative existence, still feeling frustrated in being unable to express on paper the thoughts and feelings that churned within him. [15] The course of this existence was now to be interrupted by the single event that, with its aftermath, had an impact on his career greater than any other.

"First Acquaintance with Poets"

In January 1798, Hazlitt encountered, preaching at the Unitarian chapel in Shrewsbury, the minister Samuel Taylor Coleridge, soon much better known as a poet, critic, and philosopher. Shrewsbury ( /ˈʃruːzbri/ or /ˈʃroʊzbri/ is the County town of Shropshire, in the West Midlands region of England Samuel Taylor Coleridge ( 21 October 1772 &ndash 25 July 1834) was an English Poet, Critic and philosopher A poet is a person who writes Poetry. Etymology From the Ancient greek: ποιέω, poieō: "I make or compose" The word critic comes from the Greek el κριτικός ( el-Latn kritikós) "able to discern" which in turn derives from the word He was dazzled. "I could not have been more delighted if I had heard the music of the spheres," he wrote years later in his essay "My First Acquaintance with Poets". [16] "Poetry and Philosophy had met together. Truth and Genius had embraced, under the eye and with the sanction of religion. "

Later still, long after they had parted ways, Hazlitt would speak of Coleridge as "the only person I ever knew who answered to the idea of a man of genius". [17]. That Hazlitt learned to express his thoughts "in motley imagery or quaint allusion", that his understanding "ever found a language to express itself, I owe to Coleridge", he later wrote. [18] In conversation afterwards, Coleridge for his part expressed interest in the younger man's germinating philosophical ideas and offered encouragement.

In April he joined Coleridge at his residence in Nether Stowey, where they both spent time with the poet William Wordsworth. Nether Stowey is a small village in the Sedgemoor district of Somerset, South West England. Again, Hazlitt was enraptured. While he was not immediately struck by Wordsworth's appearance, when he observed the look in Wordsworth's eye as he contemplated a sunset, he reflected, "With what eyes these poets see nature!" When he read his poetry he realized that this was something entirely new, and he began to see that Wordsworth's was the mind of a true poet. At that time, the three shared a passion for the ideas of liberty and rights of man. They tramped back and forth across the countryside, talking of poetry, philosophy, and the political movements that were changing the earth. This unity of spirit was not to last, but it gave Hazlitt, just twenty years old, validation of the idea that there is much to be learned and appreciated in poetry as well as the philosophy to which he was already devoted, and the encouragement to pursue his own thinking and writing. [19]

Meanwhile, as Hazlitt had chosen not to follow a pastoral career, and as the completion of the philosophical treatise he had been working on was still years in the future, he had to find a way of earning a living, and he decided to become a painter, a decision inspired somewhat by his brother's career. He alternated between writer and painter, proving himself proficient in both fields, until finally he decided that the financial and intellectual rewards of painting were outweighed by those of writing and he left it behind as a career.

Adulthood

Plaque in Bouverie Street, London, marking the site of William Hazlitt's house.
Plaque in Bouverie Street, London, marking the site of William Hazlitt's house.

Later, Hazlitt became friendly with Charles and Mary Lamb, and in 1808 he married Sarah Stoddart, who was a friend of Mary, and sister of John Stoddart, editor of The Times. Charles Lamb is the name of Charles Lamb (writer (1775-1834 a British essayist Charles Lamb (politician (1891-1965 a Canadian Mary Anne Lamb ( 3 December 1764 &ndash 20 May 1847) was an English writer the sister and collaborator of Charles Lamb. Year 1808 ( MDCCCVIII) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year Sir John Stoddart (1773–1856 writer and lawyer editor of The Times. They lived at Winterslow in Salisbury, but after three years he left her and began a journalistic career, writing for the Morning Chronicle, Edinburgh Review, The London Magazine,The Times, etc. Winterslow is a Village with a population of around 2000 people located about 6 miles North East of Salisbury, Wiltshire, United Kingdom, just Salisbury (ˈsɒlzbri ˈsɔːlzbri ('Solzbry' or ˈzɔːwzbri ('Zawzbry' — moving from RP to local dialect) is a cathedral city in the The Morning Chronicle was an English newspaper founded in 1769 in London, England, and published under various owners until 1862 The Edinburgh Review, founded in 1802 was one of the most influential British Magazines of the 19th century The London Magazine is a historied publication of arts literature and miscellaneous interests The Times is a daily national Newspaper published in the United Kingdom since 1785 when it was known as The Daily Universal Register. He published several volumes of essays, including The Round Table and Characters of Shakespear's Plays, both in 1817. Year 1817 ( MDCCCXVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common His best-known work is The Spirit of the Age (1825), a collection of portraits of his contemporaries, including Lamb, Coleridge, Wordsworth, Lord Byron, Jeremy Bentham, and Sir Walter Scott. Year 1825 ( MDCCCXXV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common Jeremy Bentham ( IPA: or) (15 February 1748&ndash6 June 1832 was an English Jurist, Philosopher, and legal and Social reformer Sir Walter Scott 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 &ndash 21 September 1832 was a prolific Scottish Historical novelist and Poet popular throughout

Famous for never losing his revolutionary principles, Hazlitt attacked those he saw as 'apostates' with the most rigour, seeing their move towards conservatism as a personal betrayal. Conservatism is a term used to describe political philosophies that favour Tradition, where tradition refers to various religious cultural or nationally defined He felt admiration for Edmund Burke as a thinker and writer but deemed him to have lost all common sense when his politics turned more conservative. Edmund Burke ( 12 January, 1729 9 July, 1797) was an Irish statesman author orator Political theorist, and He admired the poetry of Coleridge and Wordsworth (he continued to quote especially Wordsworth's poetry long after he had broken off friendly contact with either); but he directed some of his most vitriolic attacks against them for having replaced the humanistic and revolutionary ideas of their earlier years with staunch support of the Establishment. His harshest criticism was reserved for the revolutionary-turned-poet-laureate Robert Southey. Robert Southey ( August 12, 1774 &ndash March 21, 1843) was an English Poet of the Romantic school one He became romantically attached to Sarah Walker, a maid at his lodging house, which caused him to have something of a breakdown and publish details of their relationship in an 1823 book, Liber Amoris: Or, The New Pygmalion. This was seized upon by the right-wing press and was used to destroy his distinguished journalistic career with scandal. The most vitriolic comment directed towards Hazlitt was by the essayist Thomas Love Peacock, a former supporter turned rival, who declared Liber Amoris to be the "incoherent musings of a sometime polemicist turned full-time libertine and whore-master. Thomas Love Peacock ( October 18, 1785 - January 23, 1866) was an English satirist and Author. Polemics (pəˈlɛmɪks/ /poʊ- is the practice of disputing or controverting religious, philosophical, or political matters Libertine has come to mean one devoid of any restraints especially one who ignores or even spurns religious norms accepted morals and forms of behaviour sanctioned by the larger society "

Hazlitt is credited with having created the denomination Ultracrepidarianism to describe one who gives opinions on matters beyond one's knowledge. Ultracrepidarianism is the habit of giving opinions and advice on matters outside of one's knowledge

Hazlitt put forward radical political thinking which was proto-socialist and well ahead of his time and was a strong supporter of Napoleon Bonaparte, writing a four-volume biography of him. Socialism refers to a broad set of economic theories of social organization advocating state or collective ownership and administration of the Means of production and distribution Napoleon Bonaparte (15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821 was a French military and political leader who had a significant impact on the History of Europe. He had his admirers, but was so against the institutions of the time that he became further and further disillusioned and removed from public life. He died in poverty on 18th September 1830 and is buried in St. Anne’s Churchyard, Soho, London. For the game see 1830 (board game. Year 1830 ( MDCCCXXX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display Saint Anne's Church in the Soho section of London was consecrated on 21 March 1686 by Bishop Henry Compton as the Parish church This article is about an area of Manhattan, New York City. For the area in London UK see Soho.

Posthumous reputation

His works having fallen out of print, Hazlitt underwent a small decline, though in the late 1990s his reputation was reasserted by admirers and his works reprinted. Two major works then appeared,The Day-Star of Liberty: William Hazlitt's Radical Style by Tom Paulin in 1998 and Quarrel of the Age: the life and times of William Hazlitt by A. C. Grayling in 2000. Thomas Neilson Paulin (born January 25, 1949 in Leeds, England) is a Northern Irish Poet Year 1998 ( MCMXCVIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar) Anthony Clifford Grayling (born 3 April 1949 is a British philosopher and author 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar.

In 2003, following a lengthy appeal, Hazlitt's gravestone was restored in St. Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. Anne's Churchyard, unveiled by Michael Foot [1]. Michael Mackintosh Foot (born 23 July 1913 is a British politician and writer A Hazlitt Society was then inaugurated.

One of Soho's fashionable hotels is named after the writer. Hazlitt's hotel located on Frith Street is one of the homes William lived in and still today still retains much of the interior he would have known so well.

Works

Quotes

  • The love of liberty is the love of others; the love of power is the love of ourselves. Liberty, the freedom to act or believe without being stopped by unnecessary force Power is a measure of a person's ability to control the environment around them including the behavior of other people
  • The essence of poetry is will and passion.
  • Rules and models destroy genius and art.
  • Man is the only animal that laughs and weeps, for he is the only animal that is struck with the difference between what things are and what they ought to be.
  • The Tory is one who is governed by sense and habit alone. In the political tradition of some English-speaking countries, the term Tory has referred to a variety of political parties and Creeds since it was He considers not what is possible, but what is real; he gives might the preference over right. He cries long life to the conqueror, and is ever strong upon the stronger side – the side of corruption and prerogative.
--from Introduction to Political Essays, 1817.
  • Hazlitt writes about Samuel Taylor Coleridge
"I had no notion then that I should ever be able to express my admiration to others in motley imagery or quaint allusion, till the light of his genius shone into my soul, like the sun's rays glittering in the puddles of the road. I was at that time dumb, inarticulate, helpless, like a worm by the way-side, crushed, bleeding lifeless; but now, bursting from the deadly bands that 'bound them,
'With Styx nine times round them,'
"my ideas float on winged words, and as they expand their plumes, catch the golden light of other years. My soul has indeed remained in its original bondage, dark, obscure, with longing infinite and unsatisfied; my heart, shut up in the prison-house of this rude clay, has never found, nor will it ever find, a heart to speak to; but that my understanding also did not remain dumb and brutish, or at length found a language to express itself, I owe to Coleridge. "
--from the essay "My First Acquaintance with Poets"
"For if no man can be happy in the free exercise of his reason, no wise man can be happy without it. "
--from the essay "On the Periodical Essayists"

Notes

  1. ^ Wardle, p. 4.
  2. ^ Wardle, p. 40. This Hackney College was a short-lived institution (1786–1796) with no connection to the current college by that name.
  3. ^ Wardle, p. 45.
  4. ^ Baker, pp. 20–25.
  5. ^ Wardle, pp. 43–44.
  6. ^ Wardle, pp. 45–46. See also Maclean, p. 78.
  7. ^ Maclean, p. 78.
  8. ^ Wardle, p. 48.
  9. ^ Published in 1805 as "An Essay on the Principles of Human Action". See Hazlitt, Works, vol. 1.
  10. ^ Bromwich p. 36.
  11. ^ Wardle, p. 243. See also "A Letter to William Gifford" (1819), in Hazlitt, Works, vol. 9, pp. 58–59.
  12. ^ Wardle, pp. 48–49.
  13. ^ Wardle, pp. 44–45.
  14. ^ See Maclean, pp. 79–80.
  15. ^ Maclean, pp. 96–98.
  16. ^ Works, vol. 17, p. 108.
  17. ^ "On the Living Poets", concluding his 1818 "Lectures on the English Poets", Works, vol. 5, p. 167.
  18. ^ "My First Acquaintance with Poets", Works, vol. 17, p. 107.
  19. ^ See Maclean, pp. 119–121. See also Wardle, pp. 50–60.

References

External links

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