THE CAMBRIDGE HISTORY OF ENGLISH AND AMERICAN LITERATURE

An Encyclopedia in Eighteen Volumes

Volume X: English THE AGE OF JOHNSON

Edited by A. W. Ward & A. R. Waller

Chapter I.	Richardson
	By L. CAZAMIAN, Maître de Conférences at the Sorbonne, Paris Antecedents of the change introduced by Richardson into the history of the English Novel Richardson’s life before 1741 Pamela: its qualities and extraordinary success Continuation, Stage adaptation and Parody; Fielding and Richardson Clarissa: its unique place among its author’s works; its Sentimentalism Sir Charles Grandison: its shortcomings and its psychological value Richardson’s later years and death Decline of his popularity; Limitations of his art His momentous influence upon English and European Literature His literary descendants His influence upon French Literature and national sentiment: Prévost, Voltaire, Diderot; Richardson and Rousseau His influence in Germany: Gellert, Wieland, Klopstock and Goethe; Dutch and Italian reproductions BIBLIOGRAPHY

II.	Fielding and Smollett
	By HAROLD CHILD, sometime Scholar of Brasenose College, Oxford Fielding and Smollett compared Fielding’s descent and earlier life His first and subsequent Plays His Farces and cognate Dramatic Pieces His marriage Pasquin and The Historical Register; Journalistic work: The Champion Joseph Andrews and Pamela; The character of Parson Adams Fielding and Cervantes Miscellanies Jonathan Wild Political Journalism: The True Patriot and The Jacobite’s Journal Magisterial work and humane efforts Tom Jones The morality and the realism of the book: the author’s openness of soul Further pamphlets on social reform Amelia: its distinctive charm The Covent Garden Journal Fielding seriously ill His journey to Lisbon, and his posthumous account of it; His death Smollett’s parentage and early training as a surgeon; His arrival in London, with The Regicide in his pocket; His stay in the West Indies; Satirical and other verse Roderick Random and the Picaresque Novel Ferdinand Count Fathom The Critical Review; Historical and Miscellaneous work Sir Launcelot Greaves Travels through France and Italy Humphrey Clinker; Smollett’s last journey and death Final comparison between the literary achievements and influence of Fielding and Smollett BIBLIOGRAPHY

III.	Sterne, and the Novel of His Times
	By C. E. VAUGHAN, M.A., Balliol College, Oxford, Professor of English Literature in the University of Leeds New elements in the English Novel of the period from 1760 to 1780: Personality, Emotion and Sentiment Pre-eminence of Sterne His life Tristram Shandy and its success; Fiction as the vehicle of the Novelist’s idiosyncrasy Sterne as the Liberator of the Novel; His Humour the groundwork of his Characters Tristram Shandy and Don Quixote Sterne’s artificiality and pruriency Nature of his Sentimentalism Henry Mackenzie: The Man of Feeling; The Man of the World; Julia de Roubigné Henry Brooke: The Fool of Quality Horace Walpole’s Castle of Otranto and Clara Reeve’s Old English Baron Fanny Burney as a Novelist: Evelina; Cecilia; Camilla; The Wanderer Spontaneity a leading characteristic of these Novels; Proof of this in the Diary of Mme. d’Arblay Her best qualities as surviving in her later stories BIBLIOGRAPHY

IV.	The Drama and the Stage
	By GEORGE HENRY NETTLETON, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of English in Yale University Significance of the term “The Eighteenth Century English Drama”; Queen Anne’s reign a period of transition in English Dramatic History; Cibber, Steele and Rowe Sentimental Comedy in England and on the Continent French Classical and Native influences upon English Eighteenth Century Drama New developments: Pantomime and Ballad Opera: John Rich The Beggar’s Opera Mrs. Centlivre Young, Hughes and Thomson Lillo and Prose Domestic Tragedy: George Barnwell Lillo’s Morality Fatal Curiosity Other works by Lillo His influence upon French and German Dramatic Literature; Diderot and Lessing Edward Moore’s Gamester Voltaire and the English Drama English versions of his Plays; Voltaire and Shakespeare Fielding and Burlesque Stage Political Satire and the Licensing Act of 1737 The Novel and the Theatre Garrick and Shakespeare Other Plays of the Garrick Era; Whitehead Home’s Douglas Foote’s Comic Mimicry; His Farces Murphy and Bickerstaff George Colman the Elder: The Jealous Wife and The Clandestine Marriage Kelly The Reaction against Sentimental Comedy BIBLIOGRAPHY

V.	Thomson and Natural Description in Poetry
	By A. HAMILTON THOMPSON, M.A., F.S.A., St. John’s College Relations of Thomson’s Poetry to the tendencies of the age; His life and literary career The Seasons Influence of Milton Thomson’s interest in Nature Nature pictures in The Seasons, and the Human Element in these pictures Thomson’s objective attitude towards Nature His frequent vagueness of Description, and striking Incidental Digressions Patriotic Reflections: Britannia and Liberty The Castle of Indolence, its points of contact with Spenser, and the commonplace character of its Allegory Thomson’s Dramatic Work, from Sophonisba to Coriolanus Influence of Thomson on the younger generation of poets Somervile’s Chace and other Poems Jago’s Edge-Hill Lyttelton’s Dialogues of the Dead and other Writings BIBLIOGRAPHY

VI.	Gray
	By the late Rev. DUNCAN C. TOVEY, M.A., Trinity College Gray’s family and life His friends at Eton and Cambridge; His vacations at Burnham His continental tour with Horace Walpole Their quarrel Gray’s return and Correspondence with West; The Agrippina Fragment Lyrics written at Stoke Gray again in residence at Peterhouse Reconciliation with Walpole An Elegy in a Country Churchyard Characteristics of the Elegy The Progress of Poesy; Vicissitude and The Bard Studies from the Norse Gray quits Peterhouse for Pembroke Researches in the British Museum and tour in Yorkshire and Derbyshire; Gray appointed Professor of Modern History The Installation Ode Visit to the Lake country Gray and Bonstetten Gray’s death His Letters, their value and their charm Friendship with Mason: projected joint History of English Poetry Concluding summary BIBLIOGRAPHY

VII.	Young, Collins and Lesser Poets of the Age of Johnson
	By GEORGE SAINTSBURY, M.A., LL.D., D.Litt., F.B.A., Professor of Rhetoric and English Literature in the University of Edinburgh Reasons of the relative familiarity of readers with this group of English Verse-writers Young’s life and literary career Night Thoughts and its long-enduring popularity His other Writings: The Complaint Collins’s Odes and Eclogues Contrast between his individual inspiration and the influences of his age How Sleep the Brave and The Ode to Evening Dyer’s Grongar Hill Matthew Green Blair’s Grave Conscious or half-conscious Burlesque Verse; John Armstrong; His Art of Preserving Health Glover’s Ballad Admiral Hosier’s Ghost; Mannerisms in his Blank Verse Shenstone’s Poetical Works and their characteristics His Schoolmistress and Miscellaneous Poems Attractiveness and shortcomings of his Verse Akenside’s Pleasures of Imagination Smart’s A Song to David Beattie’s Minstrel His treatment of the Spenserian Stanza Falconer’s Shipwreck Concluding remarks BIBLIOGRAPHY

VIII.	Johnson and Boswell
	By DAVID NICHOL SMITH, M.A., Goldsmiths’ Reader in English, University of Oxford Boswell’s Johnson the Johnson familiarly known to us; His personality and his Works Johnson’s early life: Lichfield, Oxford and Birmingham His first writings and his Translation of A Voyage to Abyssinia Foreshadowings of Johnson’s style His school at Edial and migration to London Irene and its subsequent production on the Stage His work on The Gentleman’s Magazine his real start as a man of letters Reports of Debates in Parliament Other Contributions to the Magazine The Life of Savage Greater Schemes Johnson’s Earlier Verse London and The Vanity of Human Wishes The Rambler and the Revival of the Periodical Essay Openly didactic purpose of The Rambler; success of the Collected Edition A Dictionary of the English Language; new features of its design; distinctive merits of the work: the Definitions Lesser work Dedications Journalistic projects and labours The Idler Rasselas and its lesson Johnson’s Edition of Shakespeare: value of its Text and Notes Political Pamphlets A Journey to the Western Islands of Scotland The Lives of the Poets: their original plan and distinctive features Equipoise of biography and criticism Influence of personal feeling Johnson’s last years and death His literary growth, and advance in ease of style The weight of his words carried by the strength of his thought Ill success of his Parodists Effect of Johnson’s death; Mrs. Piozzi’s Anecdotes and Sir John Hawkins’s Life Boswell’s earlier experiences and Writings An Account of Corsica; His later life and labours; His death, and his posthumously published Letters His Life of Johnson, with the Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides, his enduring title to fame BIBLIOGRAPHY

IX.	Oliver Goldsmith
	By HENRY AUSTIN DOBSON, LL.D. Goldsmith’s early life and the uncertainties surrounding it Childhood at Lissoy and schooldays at Elphin The Old House, a New Inn College life at Trinity, Dublin Goldsmith, B.A Wanderings at home and abroad Sojourn at Leyden Medical and literary efforts in London: the parting of the ways Contributions to The Monthly Review Translation of Marteilhe’s Memoirs An Enquiry into the Present State of Polite Learning in Europe and its Reception The Bee, and its Verse and Prose Contributions to The British Magazine and The Public Ledger, the Chinese Letters (reprinted as The Citizen of the World) Goldsmith in Wine Office Court; his friendship with Johnson The History of England in Letters The Traveller and its success The Vicar of Wakefield: the History of the Book More Compilation The Good-Natur’d Man The Temple and Islington The Deserted Village The Haunch of Venison She Stoops to Conquer Closing years and death Goldsmith’s personality and literary genius BIBLIOGRAPHY

X.	The Literary Influence of the Middle Ages MACPHERSON’S OSSIAN. CHATTERTON. PERCY AND THE WARTONS.
	By W. P. KER, M.A., F.B.A., Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford, Professor of English Literature, University College, London Limited Influence of the Middle Ages upon Modern Literature Influence of Architecture The Literary Gothic Terror or Wonder Dryden’s, Pope’s and Addison’s estimates of Medieval Poetic masterpieces Temple and The Death-Song of Ragnar Northern Studies: Hickes’s Thesaurus Percy’s Five Runic Pieces Translations from the Icelandic: Gray The Movement in favour of Ballads and Border Songs Ossian and Macpherson Literary career of Macpherson Gaelic Elements in Fingal and Temora Macpherson’s Literary Talent Percy’s Reliques Their direct influence upon Modern Poetry Chatterton and his indebtedness to Spenser The Rowley Imposture The Wartons Thomas Warton the Younger and his Poems His History of English Poetry Hurd Tyrwhitt, the Restorer of Chaucer BIBLIOGRAPHY

XI.	Letter-Writers
	By HENRY B. WHEATLEY, F.S.A. Horace Walpole as “the Prince of Letter-Writers”; His personal character vindicated His earlier life Strawberry Hill His Letters and their qualities Mann and other Correspondents Walpole as a Critic His Anecdotes of Painting in England, Castle of Otranto and Historic Doubts on Richard III Chesterfield: His personality and public services; His wit His genius for friendship His Letters to his Son and to his Godson; Their actual nature Fanny Burney (Mme. d’ Arblay): her Early Diary, and her Diary and Letters Mrs. Elizabeth Montagu as a literary hostess Garrick and his Correspondents Sir Joshua Reynolds’s Discourses Hannah More as a Letter-Writer in youth and middle age Gilbert White’s Natural History and Antiquities of Selborne THE WARWICKSHIRE COTERIE By the Ven. W. H. HUTTON, B.D., Archdeacon of Northampton, Canon of Peterborough and Fellow of St. John’s College, Oxford The Warwickshire Circle and its connecting Links Somerville Lady Luxborough and the Literary Society at Barrels: Shenstone The Correspondence between the Countesses of Hertford and Pomfret Jago Richard Graves and his literary work The Spiritual Quixote and Columella Literature at Bath BIBLIOGRAPHY

XII.	Historians, I HUME AND MODERN HISTORIANS
	By the Rev. WILLIAM HUNT, D.Litt., Trinity College, Oxford Cause of late development of good Historical Writing; Rymer’s Foedera Ockley’s History of the Saracens The Scottish School, influences on its character David Hume: Influences on his Historical work Hume’s History of England: its character and literary style; its Toryism William Robertson and his Histories; their value His literary style Robert Henry’s History of England Historical works of Sir David Dalrymple (Lord Hailes) Sir John Dalrymple’s Memoirs of Great Britain, etc Watson’s Philip II Horace Walpole’s Historic Doubts; William Guthrie Lord Lyttelton’s Henry II; Archibald Bower’s History of the Popes Smollett’s Compleat History and Continuation; Oliver Goldsmith’s History of England Leland’s History of Ireland; Orme’s Military Transactions in Indostan; William Russell’s Modern Europe Adam Ferguson’s History of Civil Society; Delolme’s Constitution of England BIBLIOGRAPHY

XIII.	Historians, II GIBBON
	By Sir A. W. WARD, Litt.D., F.B.A., Master of Peterhouse Gibbon’s mind a type of the Literary mind; Completeness of his Historical achievement Lord Sheffield’s Memoirs Gibbon’s earlier life His residence at Lausanne Essai sur l’Étude de la Littérature Militia experience Choice of a Theme The original conception of The Decline and Fall Gibbon establishes himself in London and enters Parliament Publication of Vol. 1 of The Decline and Fall Attacks and Criticisms Gibbon’s return to Lausanne; Publication of the concluding Volumes; Other Historical Writings; Gibbon’s death Estimate of The Decline and Fall: greatness of the Theme and adequacy of the treatment Substantial accuracy Lucidity of style Faults and shortcomings of the work Middleton’s Life of Cicero Adam Ferguson’s Progress and Termination of the Roman Republic Mitford’s History of Greece Whitaker’s History of Manchester BIBLIOGRAPHY

XIV.	Philosophers
	By W. R. SORLEY, Litt. D., F.B.A., Fellow of King’s College, Knightbridge Professor of Moral Philosophy DAVID HUME Hume’s literary ambition His life and literary career His posthumous Autobiography His disclaimer of his earliest and greatest work, A Treatise of Human Nature Hume’s “New Medium” His analysis of “Philosophical Relations” The Problem of Causation Hume’s Theory of Belief His sceptical solution His Theological Writings: “Of Miracles”; Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion Political and Economical Essays ADAM SMITH Life and Writings The Theory of Moral Sentiments The Wealth of Nations; Its relation to Sir James Steuart’s Inquiry into the Principles of Political Economy Adam Smith’s Scientific Treatment of Economic Facts The System of Natural Liberty: Free Trade OTHER PHILOSOPHICAL WRITERS David Hartley Abraham Tucker Richard Price and Joseph Priestley Paley and his Theological Utilitarianism Reid, Campbell and Beattie The Principles of “Common Sense” BIBLIOGRAPHY

XV.	Divines
	By the Ven. Archdeacon W. H. HUTTON, B.D. General character of the English Theological Literature of the Period; Its abhorrence of Enthusiasm; Earlier Writers distinguished by power or outspokenness: Samuel Johnson Atterbury and his career Smalridge The Convocation Controversy: Wake Hoadly and the Bangorian Controversy The later Nonjurors: the Wagstaffes; Deacon; Henry Dodwell; Bonwicke Robert Forbes; Bingham Thomas Sherlock Butler, Wilson and Waterland: A Review of the Doctrine of the Eucharist Butler’s Analogy Herring and Secker The Methodist Movement: Whitefield James Hervey Fletcher of Madeley John and Charles Wesley BIBLIOGRAPHY

XVI.	The Literature of Dissent, 1660–1760
	By W. A. SHAW, Litt.D. Vict., Public Record Office The Historical Evolution of Dissent reflected in its Literature The principle of Liberty of Conscience and the struggle for Toleration The Literature of Dissent from Defoe to Watts Michaijah Towgood Controversial Literature on Church Polity and Dogma The “Happy Union,” and the Disruption between Independents and Presbyterians The spread of Arianism and the First Socinian Controversy The Arian Controversy proper: Peirce and Hallett The Salters’ Hall Synod and the question of Subscription: John Taylor and Samuel Bourn The Free Thought effect of the Unitarian Movement; Conservative contributions by Dissenters to the Deistic Controversy The Nonconformist Academy System Hymns and Devotional Literature BIBLIOGRAPHY

XVII.	Political Literature, 1755–75
	By C. W. PREVITÉ-ORTON, M.A., Fellow of St. John’s College Revival of Controversy after the death of Henry Pelham The Monitor; John Shebbeare and Arthur Murphy Accession of George III; Loyal Tory Pamphleteers Smollett and The Briton Wilkes and The North Briton Wilkes’s literary triumph Antipathy to the Scots Churchill: his earlier life His beginnings as a Satirist; The Rosciad Night The Prophecy of Famine The Epistle to William Hogarth; The Duellist Gotham; The Conference and its personal confession Churchill’s Later Satires Force of his invective Political Pamphlets in Prose Candor in The Public Advertiser Woodfall’s editorship of the Advertiser The Letter-Writers Junius: His literary personality and antecedents The Letters of Junius proper Their substance and characteristics Their supremacy in slanderous polemic The Mystery of Junius The Franciscan claim Junius the culmination of a notable series of Political Writings BIBLIOGRAPHY

THE CAMBRIDGE HISTORY OF ENGLISH AND AMERICAN LITERATURE

An Encyclopedia in Eighteen Volumes

Volume X: English THE AGE OF JOHNSON

Contents

Get the App