William Hazlitt Prose Style: Energy, Vigor, Ease and Effectiveness
William Hazlitt: A Powerful Voice in English Prose
William Hazlitt’s prose style combines energy and vigor, ease and effectiveness. His many essays are famous for the lucidity and brilliance in both style and content. Thus his influence on the English essay has been healthier than Lamb’s. His essays are remarkable for their fearless expression of an honest and individual opinion. He lacked the learned critical apparatus of modern critics, His emotional reactions rather than objective applied principles helped him to make his judgments. His brief, abrupt sentences had the vigor and directness of his views and sentiments. His lectures had a manly simplicity. Essays and Lectures expressed a fondness for the apt and skillfully blended quotation. Apart from brilliant prose style and wide-ranging knowledge of art, literature, and philosophy, Hazlitt was involved in many literary disputes of the day and did not hesitate to turn his writing powers against authors and critics who disagreed with him or criticized his work. Hazlitt shared Lamb’s interest in oddities of character, but not Charles’s relish of oddity for own sake:
“I hate to be surfeited with anything, however sweet. I do not want to be always tied to the same question, as if there were no other in the world. I like a mind more catholic.”
William Hazlitt: A Champion of Romanticism
As a literary critic Hazlitt elaborated the popular view of the Romantic position in his catholicity of liking and his dislike of rules in ‘On criticism’:
“If you like correctness and smoothness of all things in the world, there, they are for you in Pope. If you like ither things better, such as strength and sublimity, you know where to go for them… If we have a taste for some one precise style or manner, we may keep it to ourselves and let others have theirs. If we are more catholic in our notions and want variety of excellence and beauty, it is spread abroad for us to profusion in the variety of books and in the several growths of men’s minds, fettered by no capricious or arbitrary rules.”
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| William Hazlitt |
He begins his essay ‘On Poetry in General’ with an announcement:
“The best general notion which I can give of poetry is that it is the natural impression of any object or event, by vividness exiting an involuntary movement of imagination and passion, and producing, by sympathy, a certain modulation of the voice or sounds expressing it.” Hazlitt lectured extensively on English drama. He collected his lectures and some of his articles in Characters of Shakespeare's Plays (1817), Lectures on the English Poets (1818), Views of the English Stage (1818), Essays on the English Comic Writers (1819), and Dramatic Literature of the Age of Elizabeth (1821). With these works Hazlitt established himself as one of the foremost literary critics of the romantic period and as a master of the informal essay. His admiration for Napoleon led him to write a Life of Napoleon (4 volumes, 1828-30). Hazlitt is regarded as one of the greatest masters of English prose; his smooth, colourful style greatly influenced both his contemporaries and many subsequent writers.
Hazlitt's Prose: A Flash of Clarity, Passion, and Wit
William Hazlitt's writing was characterized by remarkable clarity, ensuring that even complex ideas were easily comprehensible to readers. Hazlitt's skilled use of vivid imagery transported readers into his world, evoking powerful mental images that enhanced the impact of his ideas. Moreover, his prose style emanated a passionate tone, reflecting his deep emotional engagement with his subjects and conveying an intense enthusiasm and conviction. By incorporating personal anecdotes and experiences, he added a personal touch that forged an intimate connection with readers. We can't resist from quoting On A Sun-Dial:
"The ticking of a clock in the night has nothing very interesting nor very alarming in it, though superstition has magnified it into an omen. In a state of vigilance or debility, it preys upon the spirits like the persecution of a teazing pertinacious insect; and haunting the imagination after it has ceased in reality, is converted into the death-watch. Time is rendered vast by contemplating its minute portions thus repeatedly and painfully urged upon its attention, as the ocean in its immensity is composed of water-drops. A clock striking with a clear and silver sound is a great relief in such circumstances, breaks the spell, and resembles a sylph-like and friendly spirit in the room. "
His writing also showcased a keen sense of wit and irony, employing clever wordplay and subtle humor to engage and entertain his audience. Furthermore, his prose style was marked by incisive criticism and insightful analysis, offering astute observations and evaluations on a diverse range of subjects. Hazlitt's exploration of human nature exhibited remarkable depth of thought, delving into complex emotions, motivations, and psychological nuances. With an independent voice, he fearlessly expressed his opinions, challenging conventional wisdom and offering unique perspectives. Employing rhetorical flourishes, such as parallelism, repetition, and antithesis, Hazlitt heightened the rhetorical impact of his writing. Finally, through his passionate and emotive language, he appealed to readers' emotions, evoking empathy and fostering a profound connection with his ideas. Collectively, these elements established Hazlitt's prose style as a testament to his mastery of language and his ability to engage, enlighten, and enchant his readers.
Conclusion
In conclusion we may say that William Hazlitt was a more consistent prose eerier of clear and English in the early period of the 19th century. He wrote vigorously. He had no mannerisms. He thought more of his matter than his manner (style). If we read his essay ‘The Flight’ we can find ourselves absorbed in the struggle, not paying attention to the style. The following extract from his account of Jeremy Bentham (The Spirit of the Age, "Bentham"), the Utilitarian philosopher, is a fair example of his way of writing. The style is clear, incisive and easy:
“He (Jeremy Bentham) has no great fondness for poetry, and can hardly extract a moral out of Shakespeare. His house is warmed and lighted by steam. He is one of those who prefer the artificial to the natural in most things, and thinks the mind of man omnipotent. He has a great contempt for out-of-doors prospects, for green fields and trees, and is for referring everything to Utility.”
Key Points William Hazlitt's prose style:
👌Clarity 👌Vivid Imagery 👌Passionate Tone 👌Personal Touch 👌Wit and Irony 👌Criticism and Analysis 👌Depth of Thought 👌Independent Voice 👌Rhetorical Flourishes 👌Emotional Appeal
Ref:
1.The collected works of William Hazlitt : Hazlitt, William, 1778-1830 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive. (n.d.). Internet Archive. https://archive.org/details/collectedworksw25henlgoog
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