The Rise and Fall of the Man of Letters: English Literary Life Since 1800

by John Gross

In this new edition of his landmark book, John Gross traces the shifting fortunes of the men who shaped literary opinion in England during the Victorian, Edwardian, and contemporary eras. He brings together famous or forgotten critics and editors―prophets, aesthetes, statesmen, dons, radicals, social climbers, idealists, gossipmongers, and literary lions―and explores not only their critical ideas but also their personalities, careers, social backgrounds, and politics. He looks at "the higher journalism;" the expansion of the reading public, the byways of British liberalism, and the rise of literature as an academic subject, and the impact of modernism. In all a remarkable survey, to which Mr. Gross has now added updates on several literary careers, the new style of critics who have evolved from the universities, and the dominant role of the media. "A brilliant account of English literary culture which is as engaging as it is illuminating"―Lionel Trilling. "Extremely readable.... The book is strewn with marvelous deft aperçus, biographical portraits of great subtlety and force, wit, commonsensical intelligence everywhere. It is a book that no one who cares about the state of literature can afford to neglect."―Joseph Epstein.

Genres: History, Literature, Nonfiction, Criticism, Literary Criticism

368 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1969

About the author

John Gross was the editor of The Times Literary Supplement in London, a senior book editor and book critic on the staff of The New York Times in New York, and theatre critic for The Sunday Telegraph. He was also literary editor of The New Statesman and Spectator magazines.

Reviews

[James Horgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Duff Cooper Prize was going through a dry patch at the end of the 1960s. This erudite work would be of interest to students of English criticism tracing the history of critical thought from Thomas Carlyle onwards. For others it is probably a bit too obscure.

The author had clearly read and pondered a great many authors, a few of whom I had heard of, many being literary critics or early English professors whose names one may have come across, but whose works lie mouldering.

It's also deceptively long. Dense type, not one you can skim. It does get a bit easier as you go through but require perseverance.

In conclusion the author wonders whether a general education and life experience counts for rather more than narrow university English curricula. In that he is probably right. Don't confuse having had an education with being educated, or knowing material for examinations with being wise.

[Kevin McDonagh · Rating 2 out of 5]

Quizzed on his disdain of film critics, Stanley Kubrick said he'd yet to read a criticism which required as much work as did making his films. He just gave them their warranted attention.

Evidently, this niche work is deeply researched, but starved of insights outside surface observations. This 'encyclopedia-man-of-lettersia' is more of an excellently annotated appendix, and a missed opportunity because some intriguing characters are uncovered. There's no mention of public reactions or the celebrity figures of the time so little context to appreciate the environment of the mentioned niche contributors. One exclusively for the crowd studying English public reading habits 1800-1930.

[Daisy]

Recommendation from National Review article on Chesterton.