Table Talk

Hazlitt gathered these familiar essays in the early 1820s, and they show him at the height of his range as a critic and observer of human nature. He moves easily from painting and the theatre to genius, the fear of death, the pleasures of going on a journey, and the odd habits of writers and ordinary people alike. Some pieces blend aesthetic argument with warm memories of his father; others turn sharp and combative, as Hazlitt was inclined to be. What holds the collection together is his voice: direct, opinionated, and unusually alive on the page. Few English essayists match his mix of feeling and force. This free PDF and EPUB edition collects one of the finest essay volumes of the Romantic era.