Eighteenth Century Essays on Shakespeare

"Eighteenth Century Essays on Shakespeare" edited by David Nichol Smith is a collection of essays that takes a look at how people thought about William Shakespeare in the 1700s. This book, probably put together in the early 1900s, wants to show that people back then actually had some good ideas about Shakespeare, even though some later thinkers didn't think so. The editor explains that the book is meant to prove that the eighteenth century really understood Shakespeare's talent in a detailed way, even though many people don't believe it. It includes important writings from critics like Nicholas Rowe and Samuel Johnson, talking about things like what Shakespeare did well and what he didn't, how educated he was, and different opinions about how his plays were put together; the introduction gets ready to explore how people's views on Shakespeare changed over time, emphasizing that his plays were still well-liked and important during the 1700s.