Twenty-two essays of William Hazlitt

Preface

^--^ These twenty-two essays are chosen with the main purpose of illustrating the prose style of William Hazhtt and of furnishing material for its fruitful study by those who are teaching or learning the difficult art of using the English tongue 3 in written discourse. For this reason, certain of Hazlitt's ■- important activities, such as criticism and lectures, are ' imperfectly displayed, as they have httle direct appeal to the average student; while other aspects of his mind, represented by his autobiographical and reflective essays, are very fully represented, because experience has shown that here he joins hands familiarly with the veriest tyro in self-expression and readily becomes a guide and an example.

Besides the autobiographical and the reflective essays, there is a group in which the problems of style are dealt with in Hazlitt's own trenchant way. A study of these essays should go far towards showing the student that the mystery of writing is one which has been deemed worthy of study by one of the keenest and most flexible representatives of Enghsh prose.

The volume is issued for the reason that no existing selection affords just the right sort of materials; and it is hoped that the '' well-wishing" body of students of our English tongue may welcome the present venture for bringing them under the provocative enthusiasm of Hazlitt's subject-matter and the Hquid cadences of his style. The welcome should be the warmer when the student finds that these essays are not chosen from among the mediocre work of Hazlitt to fit any supposed low level, but are the author's most excellent, most famous, and most characteristic work.

The Introduction gives in brief form an analysis of the personality of HazHtt, which may aid the student in appreciating the spirit in which he worked, and the nature and value of his theme. The second part presents in brief form

IV PREFACE

what seem to be the leading characteristics of his style. The Outline of his Life contains the main dates and publications of his career. In the Notes, besides other matter, there will be found the sources of most of the abundant references and quotations. But only the minimum of information is given in any case, and only those references are explained which would otherwise leave the connection of thought obscure. The piling up of curious information has been scrupulously avoided. The text is printed, foot-notes, quotations, and all, without alterations or simplifications, as it appears in the splendid and indispensable edition of Waller and Glover.

Contents

PAGE

Introduction I. Personality and Theme vii

II. Style xi