Henry Gally

A convincing literary portrait depends on careful observation of human habits. Henry Gally develops that argument in A Critical Essay on Characteristic-Writings, originally attached to his 1725 translation of Theophrastus. This edition presents selected sections with an introduction by Alexander H. Chorney. Gally considers how a writer can give a compact, lively account of a person's prevailing qualities while allowing other traits to complete the picture. He favors plain language and concrete behavior over elaborate comparisons that display the writer's wit.

The essay also puts those principles to work in criticism of La Bruyère. Gally questions portraits that stretch recognizable habits into implausible extremes, and argues that a critic should acknowledge both an author's strengths and failings. Chorney's introduction connects these judgments with earlier English character sketches and changing ideas about individual personality. Readers interested in literary criticism or the craft of characterization will find a focused discussion of how believable people take shape on the page.