Literary Character of Men of Genius Drawn from Their Own Feelings and Confessions

Influence of Authors on society, and of society on Authors.--National tastes a source of literary prejudices.--True Genius always the organ of its nation.--Master-writers preser...

"My dear Kitty,--Though I have but a moment's time to spare, I would not omit writing you an account of my good fortune; my Lord Fauconberg has this day given me a hundred and s...

The relics of witticisms and observations on human life, on state affairs, in literature and history, are scattered among contemporary writers, and some are even traditional; I...

Youth of genius.--Its first impulses may be illustrated by its subsequent actions.--Parents have another association of the man of genius than we.--Of genius, its first habits.-...

The meditations of genius.--A work on the art of meditation not yet produced.--Predisposing the mind.--Imagination awakens imagination. --Generating feelings by music.--Slight h...

Of the irritability of genius.--Genius in society often in a state of suffering.--Equality of temper more prevalent among men of letters.--Of the occupation of making a great na...

The enthusiasm of genius.--A state of mind resembling a waking dream distinct from reverie.--The ideal presence distinguished from the real presence.--The senses are really affe...

The first studies.--The self-educated are marked by stubborn peculiarities.--Their errors.--Their improvement from the neglect or contempt they incur.--The history of self-educa...

The domestic life of genius.--Defects of great compositions attributed to domestic infelicities.--The home of the literary character should be the abode of repose and silence.--...

The man of letters.--Occupies an intermediate station between authors and readers.--His solitude described.--Often the father of genius.--Atticus, a man of letters of antiquity....

The poverty of literary men.--Poverty, a relative quality.--Of the poverty of literary men in what degree desirable.--Extreme poverty.--Task-work. --Of gratuitous works.--A proj...

Self-praise of genius.--The love of praise instinctive in the nature of genius.--A high opinion of themselves necessary for their great designs. --The Ancients openly claimed th...

The matrimonial state of literature.--Matrimony said not to be well suited to the domestic life of genius.--Celibacy a concealed cause of the early querulousness of men of geniu...

Literature an avenue to glory.--An intellectual nobility not chimerical, but created by public opinion.--Literary honours of various nations.-- Local associations with the memor...

Conversations of men of genius.--Their deficient agreeableness may result from qualities which conduce to their greatness.--Slow-minded men not the dullest.--The conversationist...

The spirit of literature and the spirit of society.--The Inventors. --Society offers seduction and not reward to men of genius.--The notions of persons of fashion of men of geni...

The literary and the personal character.--The personal dispositions of an author may be the reverse of those which appear in his writings. --Erroneous conceptions of the charact...

Literary friendships.--In early life.--Different from those of men of the world.--They suffer an unrestrained communication of their ideas, and bear reprimands and exhortations....

Influence of authors on society, and of society on authors. --National tastes a source of literary prejudices.--True genius always the organ of its nation.--Master-writers prese...

Of the Adversaries of Literary Men among themselves.--Matter-of-fact Men, and Men of Wit.--The Political Economist.--Of those who abandon their studies.--Men in office.--The arb...

Of natural genius.--Minds constitutionally different cannot have an equal aptitude.--Genius not the result of habit and education.--Originates in peculiar qualities of the mind....

The literary character is reproached with an extreme passion for retirement, cultivating those insulating habits, which, while they are great interruptions, and even weakeners,...

The old age of the literary character retains its enjoyments, and usually its powers--a happiness which accompanies no other. The old age of coquetry witnesses its own extinct b...

Of the jealousy of Genius.--Jealousy often proportioned to the degree of genius.--A perpetual fever among Authors and Artists.--Instances of its incredible excess among brothers...

The ancients addicted themselves to one species of composition; the tragic poet appears not to have entered into the province of comedy, nor, as far as we know, were their histo...

Of artists, in the history of men of literary genius.--Their habits and pursuits analogous.--The nature of their genius is similar in their distinct works.--Shown by their paral...

Diffused over enlightened Europe, an order of men has arisen, who, uninfluenced by the interests or the passions which give an impulse to the other classes of society, are conne...

Want of mutual esteem among men of genius often originates in a deficiency of analogous ideas.--It is not always envy or jealousy which induces men of genius to undervalue each...

"My dear Kitty,--I have arrived here safe and sound--except for the hole in my heart which you have made, like a dear enchanting slut as you are. --I shall take lodgings this mo...

"My dear Kitty,--I beg you will accept of the inclosed sermon, which I do not make you a present of merely because it was wrote by myself, but because there is a beautiful chara...

"My dear Kitty,--If this billet catches you in bed, you are a lazy, sleepy little slut, and I am a giddy, foolish, unthinking fellow, for keeping you so late up--but this Sabbat...

The meditations of Genius.--A work on the Art of Meditation not yet produced.--Predisposing the mind.--Imagination awakens imagination. --Generating feelings by music.--Slight h...

"My dear Kitty,--I have sent you a pot of sweetmeats and a pot of honey --neither of them half so sweet as yourself--but don't be vain upon this, or presume to grow sour upon th...

Youth of genius.--Its first impulses may be illustrated by its subsequent actions.--Parents have another association of the man of genius than we.--Of genius, its first habits.-...

The domestic life of genius.--Defects of great compositions attributed to domestic infelicities.--The home of the literary character should be the abode of repose and silence.--...

The enthusiasm of genius.--A state of mind resembling a waking dream distinct from reverie.--The ideal presence distinguished from the real presence.--The senses are really affe...

The spirit of literature and the spirit of society.--The inventors. --Society offers seduction and not reward to men of genius.--The notions of persons of fashion of men of geni...

The matrimonial state of literature.--Matrimony said not to be well-suited to the domestic life of genius.--Celibacy a concealed cause of the early querulousness of men of geniu...

Self-praise of genius.--The love of praise instinctive in the nature of genius.--A high opinion of themselves necessary for their great designs.--The ancients openly claimed the...

The literary and the personal character.--The personal dispositions of an author may be the reverse of those which appear in his writings.--Erroneous conceptions of the characte...

The first studies.--The self-educated are marked by stubborn peculiarities.--Their errors.--Their improvement from the neglect or contempt they incur.--The history of self-educa...

Of the irritability of genius.--Genius in society often in a state of suffering.--Equality of temper more prevalent among men of letters.--Of the occupation of making a great na...

Literary friendships.--In early life.--Different from those of men of the world.--They suffer in unrestrained communication of their ideas, and bear reprimands and exhortations....

The man of letters.--Occupies an intermediate station between authors and readers.--His solitude described.--Often the father of genius.--Atticus, a man of letters of antiquity....

Of the jealousy of genius.--Jealousy often proportioned to the degree of genius.--A perpetual fever among authors and artists. --Instances of its incredible excess among brother...

Of the adversaries of literary men among themselves.--Matter-of-fact men, and men of wit.--The political economists.--Of those who abandon their studies.--Men in office.--The ar...

Of artists, in the history of men of literary genius.--Their habits and pursuits analogous.--The nature of their genius is similar in their distinct works.--Shown by their paral...

Conversations of men of genius.--Their deficient agreeableness may result from qualities which conduce to their greatness.--Slow-minded men not the dullest.--The conversationist...

Of natural genius.--Minds constitutionally different cannot have an equal aptitude.--Genius not the result of habit and education.-- Originates in peculiar qualities of the mind...

The poverty of literary men.--Poverty, a relative quality.--Of the poverty of literary men in what degree desirable.--Extreme poverty.--Task-work.--Of gratuitous works.--A proje...

Want of mutual esteem among men of genius often originates in a deficiency of analogous ideas.--It is not always envy or jealousy which induces men of genius to undervalue each...

Literature an avenue to glory.--An intellectual nobility not chimerical, but created by public opinion.--Literary honours of various nations.--Local associations with the memory...