Lectures on the English Poets; Delivered at the Surrey Institution

"Lectures on the English Poets; Delivered at the Surrey Institution" by William Hazlitt is a compilation of insightful lectures dissecting English poetry, probably from the 1800s. This book is a study of what poetry is, how it stirs emotion, and the different ways it appears in the works of famous poets, from old masters to writers alive when Hazlitt wrote. The author explores the deep effect of poetry on people’s lives through a series of talks that aim to show that poetry is more than just fun and games. The book starts by presenting poetry as a natural way to show human feelings and imagination. Hazlitt points out that poetry shows the deep ties people have with the world around them and what's inside their heads. He believes that all feelings, like love or sadness, are poetic; this shows that poetry is something felt by everyone and, by extension, all poets.