File:William_Hazlitt_self-portrait_(1802).jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons
William Hazlitt
Sign in to saveAlso known as Wm. Haslett, William Carew Hazlitt
English essayist and writer (1778–1830)
William Hazlitt was an English essayist and writer who lived from 1778 to 1830 and became known for his distinctive personal essays and literary criticism. His work helped establish the essay as a major literary form for expressing individual perspectives on art, literature, and society.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- human
- Given name
- William
- Gender
- male
- Citizenship
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
- Place of birth
- Maidstone
- Place of death
- London
- Occupation
- translator
- Languages spoken
- English language
- Field of work
- philosophy
- Image
- John Hazlitt Portrait of William Hazlitt.jpg
Show 6 more facts
- Commons category
- William Hazlitt
- date of birth
- 1778-00-00
- date of death
- 1830-09-18
- archives at
- Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library
- Commons Creator page
- William Hazlitt
- writing language
- English language
Sources (3)
via Wikidata · CC0
Works in European collections
23 objects attributed to William Hazlitt, held across European museums, libraries & archives · via Europeana
~40 min read
Encyclopedic overview
William Hazlitt (10 April 1778 – 18 September 1830) was an English essayist, drama and literary critic, painter, social commentator, and philosopher. He is now considered one of the greatest critics and essayists in the history of the English language, placed in the company of Samuel Johnson and George Orwell. He is also acknowledged as the finest art critic of his age. Despite his high standing among historians of literature and art, 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, William Wordsworth, and John Keats.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “William Hazlitt” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.