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On the Pleasure of Hating: and Other Essays
On the Pleasure of Hating , William Hazlitt's classic contemplation of human hatred, is in this edition accompanied by several of his finest essays in large print.
As one of England's most distinguished wits of the early 19th century, William Hazlitt was an accomplished author, painter and critic whose barbed prose was notorious in literary circles at the time. Hazlitt wrote the titular essay of this collection in 1826, when his personal circumstances were strained; we thus find his tone both markedly resentful and embittered. On the Pleasure of Hating is, however, among the finest and most consistently insightful and lucid works Hazlitt ever wrote.
Perhaps Hazlitt's greatest claim to prowess was his ability to produce succinct and quotable passages. Each of the six essays in this compendium contain prime examples of the perceptive phrases and summations which Hazlitt regularly produced in his prime. Although typically misanthropic and sour, the author's ability to recognizing and eviscerate aspects of human nature and emotion is lightened by humor and occasionally sarcasm.
William Hazlitt's writing style would flourish relatively late in life; the essays in this collection were written while he was already in his mid-to-late-forties. Yet the knowledge is derived from Hazlitt's own experiences; disappointments in love and vilification by rivals led him to reflect upon the human emotions and particularly man's capacity for hatred, which he found fascinating for its power and poignancy.
As one of England's most distinguished wits of the early 19th century, William Hazlitt was an accomplished author, painter and critic whose barbed prose was notorious in literary circles at the time. Hazlitt wrote the titular essay of this collection in 1826, when his personal circumstances were strained; we thus find his tone both markedly resentful and embittered. On the Pleasure of Hating is, however, among the finest and most consistently insightful and lucid works Hazlitt ever wrote.
Perhaps Hazlitt's greatest claim to prowess was his ability to produce succinct and quotable passages. Each of the six essays in this compendium contain prime examples of the perceptive phrases and summations which Hazlitt regularly produced in his prime. Although typically misanthropic and sour, the author's ability to recognizing and eviscerate aspects of human nature and emotion is lightened by humor and occasionally sarcasm.
William Hazlitt's writing style would flourish relatively late in life; the essays in this collection were written while he was already in his mid-to-late-forties. Yet the knowledge is derived from Hazlitt's own experiences; disappointments in love and vilification by rivals led him to reflect upon the human emotions and particularly man's capacity for hatred, which he found fascinating for its power and poignancy.
136 pages, Paperback
Published August 25, 2017
63 people want to read
About the author
William Hazlitt
1,136 books176 followersWilliam Hazlitt (1778-1830) was an English writer, remembered for his humanistic essays and literary criticism, and as a grammarian and philosopher. He is now considered one of the great critics and essayists of the English language, placed in the company of Samuel Johnson and George Orwell, but his work is currently little-read and mostly out of print. During his lifetime, he befriended many people who are now part of the 19th-century literary canon, including Charles and Mary Lamb, Stendhal, Samuel Taylor Coleridge and William Wordsworth.
Hazlitt was the son of the Unitarian minister and writer, William Hazlitt, who greatly influenced his work. Hazlitt's son, also called William Hazlitt, and grandson, William Carew Hazlitt, were also writers.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name on Goodreads.
Hazlitt was the son of the Unitarian minister and writer, William Hazlitt, who greatly influenced his work. Hazlitt's son, also called William Hazlitt, and grandson, William Carew Hazlitt, were also writers.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name on Goodreads.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
August 29, 2025
Não consigo encontrar as palavras corretas para este livro, mas, mesmo assim, permitam-me tentar.
Os primeiros dois ensaios deste livro são excecionais, tanto “Do prazer de odiar”, como “Do medo da morte”. Estes dois opúsculos fazem um exame mordaz a duas características inerentes ao ser humano, o ódio e a morte. Diria que estes dois são, de facto, dignos de leitura.
Os outros… pois bem, senti que os outros todos foram uma tentativa de o autor fazer uma crítica à sociedade, mas que se embrenhava de tal modo, que tudo passava a ser uma autocrítica. O que eu respeito, no entanto, não é do meu gosto. Para além disso, o autor tem uns takes muito graves contra as mulheres e os transexuais, o que mesmo sendo normal para a época, é-me doloroso ler.
Pode ser que se foram grandes entendidos de Shakespeare gostem mais do que eu.
Os primeiros dois ensaios deste livro são excecionais, tanto “Do prazer de odiar”, como “Do medo da morte”. Estes dois opúsculos fazem um exame mordaz a duas características inerentes ao ser humano, o ódio e a morte. Diria que estes dois são, de facto, dignos de leitura.
Os outros… pois bem, senti que os outros todos foram uma tentativa de o autor fazer uma crítica à sociedade, mas que se embrenhava de tal modo, que tudo passava a ser uma autocrítica. O que eu respeito, no entanto, não é do meu gosto. Para além disso, o autor tem uns takes muito graves contra as mulheres e os transexuais, o que mesmo sendo normal para a época, é-me doloroso ler.
Pode ser que se foram grandes entendidos de Shakespeare gostem mais do que eu.
Displaying 1 of 1 review