Hazlitt on English Literature: An Introduction to the Appreciation of Literature

"Hazlitt on English Literature: An Introduction to the Appreciation of Literature" by Jacob Zeitlin is a book that gathers together the impactful writings of William Hazlitt, a notable literary critic, to explore his views on English literature from the time of Queen Elizabeth to the Romantic era. The book celebrates Hazlitt's talent and offers readers a way to understand his ideas about important writers and the world of literary criticism, while the author, Zeitlin, explains that the anthology serves two purposes: to show how Hazlitt helped shape literary criticism and to act as a tool for teaching literature in schools. Zeitlin's introduction gives an overview of the book, pointing out key essays that demonstrate Hazlitt's appreciation for major English writers and their creations and Zeitlin highlights Hazlitt's enthusiastic style, setting up a timeline that explores Hazlitt's relationships with literature and its creators to deepen the reader's insight into the critical environment of Hazlitt's day.