George Crabbe: The Critical Heritage (The Collected Critical Heritage : 18th Century Literature)

The Critical Heritage gathers together a large body of critical sources on major figures in literature. Each volume presents contemporary responses to a writer's work, enabling students and researchers to read for themselves, for example, comments on early performances of Shakespeare's plays, or reactions to the first publication of Jane Austen's novels. The carefully selected sources range from landmark essays in the history of criticism to journalism and contemporary opinion, and little published documentary material such as letters and diaries. Significant pieces of criticism from later periods are also included, in order to demonstrate the fluctuations in an author's reputation. Each volume contains an introduction to the writer's published works, a selected bibliography, and an index of works, authors and subjects. The Collected Critical Heritage set will be available as a set of 68 volumes and the series will also be available in mini sets selected by period (in slipcase boxes) and as individual volumes. Book Cover......Page 1 Title......Page 4 Contents......Page 5 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS page......Page 14 INTRODUCTION......Page 16 NOTE ON THE TEXT......Page 46 EDMUND CARTWRIGHT, notice in Monthly Review, September 1780......Page 48 Notice in Critical Review, September 1780......Page 49 Notice in Gentleman's Magazine,October 1780......Page 51 Notice in Critical Review, August 1781......Page 52 Notice in Gentleman's Magazine,October 1781......Page 53 EDMUND CARTWRIGHT, notice in Monthly Review, December 1781......Page 54 DR. JOHNSON, letter to Sir Joshua Reynolds, March 1783......Page 56 EDMUND CARTWRIGHT, notice in Monthly Review, November 1783......Page 57 Notice in Gentleman's Magazine, December 1783......Page 59 Notice in Critical Review, April 1785......Page 60 CHARLES BURNEY, notice in Monthly Review, November 1785......Page 61 Reviews in Gentleman's Magazine, November 1807, January 1808......Page 64 Review in Anti-Jacobin Review and Magazine, December 1807......Page 65 Review in Oxford Review, January 1808......Page 68 FRANCIS JEFFREY, review in Edinburgh Review, April 1808......Page 69 THOMAS DENMAN, review in Monthly Review, June 1808......Page 76 Review in British Critic, June 1808......Page 78 Review in Annual Review, 1808......Page 79 Reviews in Universal Magazine, November 1808, February 1809......Page 82 JAMES MONTGOMERY, review in Eclectic Review, January 1809......Page 89 THOMAS DENMAN, review in Monthly Review, April 1810......Page 95 FRANCIS JEFFREY, review in Edinburgh Review, April 1810......Page 99 JAMES MONTGOMERY, review in Eclectic Review, June 1810......Page 114 Review in Critical Review, July 1810......Page 122 Reviews in Monthly Mirror, August and October 1810......Page 127 ROBERT GRANT, review in Quarterly Review, November 1810......Page 132 Review in British Critic, March 1811......Page 149 Review in Christian Observer, August 1811......Page 152 CRABBE, Preface to Tales......Page 162 Review in British Review, October 1812......Page 169 Review in Scourge, October 1812......Page 176 FRANCIS JEFFREY, review in Edinburgh Review, November 1812......Page 178 THOMAS DENMAN, review in Monthly Review, December 1812......Page 187 Review in Critical Review, December 1812......Page 190 Review in Eclectic Review, December 1812......Page 200 Reviews in Universal Magazine, February and March 1813......Page 206 Review in British Critic, April 1813......Page 214 JAMES SMITH, 'The Theatre', Rejected Addresses, 1812......Page 217 T.N.TALFOURD on Crabbe as historian of the poor, 1815......Page 221 HAZLITT on 'still life of tragedy' in Crabbe, 1818......Page 228 R.H.DANA replies to Hazlitt, 1819......Page 230 JOHN WILSON ('Christopher North'), review in Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, July 1819......Page 233 FRANCIS JEFFREY, review in Edinburgh Review, July 1819......Page 242 Review in British Critic, September 1819......Page 254 Review in Edinburgh Monthly Review, September 1819......Page 262 Review in New Monthly Magazine, September 1819......Page 267 Review in Christian Observer, October 1819......Page 270 Review in Monthly Review, November 1819......Page 287 Review in Eclectic Review, February 1820......Page 295 HAZLITT attacks Crabbe, May 1821......Page 314 JOHN WILSON reinforces the attack, November 1827......Page 322 'Farewell, dear Crabbe!', 1834......Page 329 J.G.LOCKHART, reviews in Quarterly Review, January and October 1834......Page 330 Review in Tait's Edinburgh Magazine, April 1834......Page 336 O.W.B.PEABODY, review in North American Review, July 1834......Page 344 Review in Monthly Review, September 1834......Page 346 Review in Eclectic Review, October 1834......Page 348 Review in Gentleman s Magazine, December 1834......Page 350 WILLIAM EMPSON, review in Edinburgh Review, January 1835......Page 360 Review in New York Review, March 1837......Page 369 An early American assessment, 1846......Page 384 GILFILLAN'S 'spasmodic' criticism, March 1847......Page 391 Another American view, 1850......Page 404 W.C.ROSCOE on Crabbe's standing in mid-century, January 1859......Page 409 Fiction;in prose or verse? Saturday Review, September 1864......Page 430 Fifty years after, February 1869......Page 436 Crabbe and the eighteenth century: an American estimate, July 1872......Page 438 A third-rate poet, 1873......Page 446 LESLIE STEPHEN on Crabbe, 1874......Page 452 A last American judgment, 1880......Page 466 FITZGERALD as Crabbe's champion, 1882......Page 472 PATMORE contrasts Crabbe and Shelley, February 1887......Page 480 Final verdicts (I): Crabbe as a 'Great Writer', 1888......Page 482 Final verdicts (II): SAINTSBURY not so enthusiastic, 1890......Page 490 SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY......Page 501 INDEX......Page 502 Language and Literature Book Cover 1 Title 4 Contents 5 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS page 14 INTRODUCTION 16 NOTE ON THE TEXT 46 EDMUND CARTWRIGHT, notice in Monthly Review, September 1780 48 Notice in Critical Review, September 1780 49 Notice in Gentleman's Magazine,October 1780 51 Notice in Critical Review, August 1781 52 Notice in Gentleman's Magazine,October 1781 53 EDMUND CARTWRIGHT, notice in Monthly Review, December 1781 54 DR. JOHNSON, letter to Sir Joshua Reynolds, March 1783 56 EDMUND CARTWRIGHT, notice in Monthly Review, November 1783 57 Notice in Gentleman's Magazine, December 1783 59 Notice in Critical Review, April 1785 60 CHARLES BURNEY, notice in Monthly Review, November 1785 61 Reviews in Gentleman's Magazine, November 1807, January 1808 64 Review in Anti-Jacobin Review and Magazine, December 1807 65 Review in Oxford Review, January 1808 68 FRANCIS JEFFREY, review in Edinburgh Review, April 1808 69 THOMAS DENMAN, review in Monthly Review, June 1808 76 Review in British Critic, June 1808 78 Review in Annual Review, 1808 79 Reviews in Universal Magazine, November 1808, February 1809 82 JAMES MONTGOMERY, review in Eclectic Review, January 1809 89 THOMAS DENMAN, review in Monthly Review, April 1810 95 FRANCIS JEFFREY, review in Edinburgh Review, April 1810 99 JAMES MONTGOMERY, review in Eclectic Review, June 1810 114 Review in Critical Review, July 1810 122 Reviews in Monthly Mirror, August and October 1810 127 ROBERT GRANT, review in Quarterly Review, November 1810 132 Review in British Critic, March 1811 149 Review in Christian Observer, August 1811 152 CRABBE, Preface to Tales 162 Review in British Review, October 1812 169 Review in Scourge, October 1812 176 FRANCIS JEFFREY, review in Edinburgh Review, November 1812 178 THOMAS DENMAN, review in Monthly Review, December 1812 187 Review in Critical Review, December 1812 190 Review in Eclectic Review, December 1812 200 Reviews in Universal Magazine, February and March 1813 206 Review in British Critic, April 1813 214 JAMES SMITH, 'The Theatre', Rejected Addresses, 1812 217 T.N.TALFOURD on Crabbe as historian of the poor, 1815 221 HAZLITT on 'still life of tragedy' in Crabbe, 1818 228 R.H.DANA replies to Hazlitt, 1819 230 JOHN WILSON ('Christopher North'), review in Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, July 1819 233 FRANCIS JEFFREY, review in Edinburgh Review, July 1819 242 Review in British Critic, September 1819 254 Review in Edinburgh Monthly Review, September 1819 262 Review in New Monthly Magazine, September 1819 267 Review in Christian Observer, October 1819 270 Review in Monthly Review, November 1819 287 Review in Eclectic Review, February 1820 295 HAZLITT attacks Crabbe, May 1821 314 JOHN WILSON reinforces the attack, November 1827 322 'Farewell, dear Crabbe!', 1834 329 J.G.LOCKHART, reviews in Quarterly Review, January and October 1834 330 Review in Tait's Edinburgh Magazine, April 1834 336 O.W.B.PEABODY, review in North American Review, July 1834 344 Review in Monthly Review, September 1834 346 Review in Eclectic Review, October 1834 348 Review in Gentleman s Magazine, December 1834 350 WILLIAM EMPSON, review in Edinburgh Review, January 1835 360 Review in New York Review, March 1837 369 An early American assessment, 1846 384 GILFILLAN'S 'spasmodic' criticism, March 1847 391 Another American view, 1850 404 W.C.ROSCOE on Crabbe's standing in mid-century, January 1859 409 Fiction;in prose or verse? Saturday Review, September 1864 430 Fifty years after, February 1869 436 Crabbe and the eighteenth century: an American estimate, July 1872 438 A third-rate poet, 1873 446 LESLIE STEPHEN on Crabbe, 1874 452 A last American judgment, 1880 466 FITZGERALD as Crabbe's champion, 1882 472 PATMORE contrasts Crabbe and Shelley, February 1887 480 Final verdicts (I): Crabbe as a 'Great Writer', 1888 482 Final verdicts (II): SAINTSBURY not so enthusiastic, 1890 490 SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY 501 INDEX 502 The second section of the book reopens the discussion of Crabbe's work from a set of slightly altered perspectives. Thus one chapter is concerned with the work of the first generation of Romantic poets (Wordsworth, Coleridge, and Southey) and suggests that some of the energy and tension of Crabbe's mature poetry comes from his readiness to expose himself, sensitively yet not uncritically, to the new currents of feeling that were stirring in England around the turn of the century. Other chapters deal with the question of genre, with the claim that Crabbe's determinate meanings (often thought to be peculiarly translucent) can be reduced to indeterminacy by a deconstructive approach, and with the extent to which "ideology" governed his social and political outlook. A concluding chapter takes as its perspective the attempt to set Crabbe's total oeuvre in the context of what we know about his life and personality George Crabbe: A Reappraisal is centered on the belief that Crabbe, particularly in his verse-tales, is an important, even major, poet whose work has been and still is seriously undervalued. After an introductory chapter, the next five chapters in Part 1 offer a straightforward account of the changes in Crabbe's poetry up to its pinnacle of achievement in 1812, tracing its development from the generalized discursive poetical essays of the 1780s through the particularized character sketches and anecdotes of The Parish Register and much of The Borough to the full-length verse-tales that reach their full maturity in Tales (1812)