Release date is 2004-02-01

Preface -- Of Criticism and the Critic -- The Edinburgh Review: Editor's Note -- From the Edinburgh Review (Founded 1802): Lord Jeffrey on Southey's "Thalaba". Lord Jeffrey on Southey's Laureate Lays. Lord Jeffrey on Thomas Moore. Lord Jeffrey on Wordsworth's "Excursion". Lord Jeffrey on Keats. Lord Brougham on Byron. Sydney Smith on Hannah More. Macaulay on Southey. Macaulay on Croker's "Boswell". Macaulay on W. E. Gladstone. Macaulay on Madame D'Arblay. Anonymous on Wordsworth. Anonymous on Maturin's "Melmoth" -- The Quarterly Review: Editor's Note -- From the Quarterly Review (Founded 1809): Gifford on Weber's "Ford". Gifford on Keats. Croker on Sydney Smith. Croker on Macaulay. Lockhart on The Author of "Vathek". Lockhart on Coleridge. Sir Walter Scott on Jane Austen. Archbishop Whately on Jane Austen. W. E. Gladstone on Tennyson. Canon Wilberforce on Darwin. Canon Wilberforce on Cardinal Newman. Anonymous on [Scott's] "Waverley". Anonymous on [Scott's] "Tales of My Landlord". Anonymous on Leigh Hunt's "Rimini". Anonymous on Shakespeare. Anonymous on Moxon's Sonnets. Anonymous on [Thackeray's] "Vanity Fair" and [Brontë's] "Jane Eyre". Anonymous on George Eliot -- Blackwood's Magazine: Editor's Note -- From Blackwood's Magazine (Founded 1817): Professor Wilson (Christopher North) on Pope and Wordsworth. Professor Wilson (Christopher North) on Lord Byron. Professor Wilson (Christopher North) on Dr. Johnson. Professor Wilson (Christopher North) on crumbs from the "Noctes". Anonymous on Coleridge. Anonymous on The Cockney School of poetry I. Anonymous on The Cockney School of poetry III. Anonymous on The Cockney School of poetry IV. Z. on Keats. Anonymous on Shelley -- The Westminster Review: Editor's Note -- From the Westminster Review (Founded 1824): J. S. Mill on Tennyson. J. S. Mill on Macaulay's "Lays". John Sterling on Carlyle -- Fraser's Magazine: Editor's Note -- From Fraser's Magazine. Thackeray on Dickens. Charles Kingsley on Alexander Smith and Alexander Pope. Anonymous on novels for Christmas, 1837 [Mrs. Trollope's The Vicar of Wrexhill]. Anonymous on Bulwer's "Ernest Maltravers" -- W. J. Fox: Editor's Note -- From the Monthly Repository: W. J. Fox on Browning -- De Quincey: Editor's Note -- From Tait's Edinburgh Magazine: De Quincey on Pope.

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"Famous Reviews" by R. Brimley Johnson is a critical compilation of renowned literary reviews selected and edited from various historical sources, created in the early 20th century. This collection includes significant critiques from outlets such as the Edinburgh Review and the Quarterly Review, covering a range of authors, including Wordsworth, Southey, and Byron, among others. The reviews offer insights into the evolving perspectives on literary merit, taste, and the role of critics in shaping public opinion about notable literary works throughout the history of English literature. The opening of "Famous Reviews" sets the stage for a deep exploration of literary criticism by discussing the historical context and development of review journalism. Johnson reflects on the shifting nature of criticism, highlighting the rise of prominent reviewers and their often polarizing opinions about contemporaneous authors. The introduction provides a rich background that contextualizes the subsequent selections, which feature excerpts of reviews that combine sharp analysis with personal anecdotes and impressions that illustrate the critics’ broader viewpoints on artistry, style, and the cultural landscape of their times. Through this, readers are invited not only to assess the worth of various literary figures but also to consider the critic's influence in the literary sphere. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

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