Of Essays and Reading in Early Modern Britain

201 Pages·2006·1.259 MB·English

by  Scott Black (auth.)

PalgraveStudies in the Enlightenment, Romanticism and Cultures of Print
General Editors: Professor Anne K. Mellorand Professor Clifford Siskin
Editorial Board: Isobel Armstrong, Birkbeck; John Bender, Stanford; Alan
Bewell, Toronto; Peter de Bolla, Cambridge; Robert Miles, Stirling; Claudia
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Palgrave Studies in the Enlightenment, Romanticism and Cultures of Printwill
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will combine efforts to engage the power and materiality of print with
explorations of gender, race, and class. By attending as well to intersections of
literature with the visual arts, medicine, law, and science, the series will enable
a large-scale rethinking of the origins of modernity.
Titles include:
Scott Black
OF ESSAYS AND READING IN EARLY MODERN BRITAIN
Claire Brock
THE FEMINIZATION OF FAME, 1750–1830
Brycchan Carey
BRITISH ABOLITIONISM AND THE RHETORIC OF SENSIBILITY
Writing, sentiment, and slavery, 1760–1807
E. J. Clery
THE FEMINIZATION DEBATE IN 18TH-CENTURY ENGLAND
Literature, Commerce and Luxury
Adriana Craciun
BRITISH WOMEN WRITERS AND THE FRENCH REVOLUTION
Citizens of the World
Peter de Bolla, Nigel Leask and David Simpson (editors)
LAND, NATION AND CULTURE, 1740–1840
Thinking the Republic of Taste
Anthony S. Jarrells
BRITAIN'S BLOODLESS REVOLUTIONS
1688 and the Romantic Reform of Literature
Mary Waters
BRITISH WOMEN WRITERS AND THE PROFESSION OF LITERARY CRITICISM,
1789–1832
Forthcoming titles in the series:
Ian Haywood
BLOODY ROMANTICISM
Palgrave Studies in the Enlightenment, Romanticism and Cultures of Print
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Of Essays and Reading in
Early Modern Britain
Scott Black
© Scott Black 2006
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2006 978-1-4039-9905-4
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ISBN 978-1-349-54760-9 ISBN 978-0-230-28664-1 (eBook)
DOI 10.1057/9780230286641
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Black, Scott, 1964–
Of essays and reading in early modern Britain / Scott Black.
p. cm. – (Palgrave studies in the Enlightenment, romanticism and the
cultures of print)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. English essays–Early modern, 1500–1700–History and criticism.
2. English essays–18th century–History and criticism. 3. Reading–Great
Britain–History–17th century. 4. Reading–Great Britain–History–18th
century. 5. Authors and readers–Great Britain–History–17th century.
6. Authors and readers–Great Britain–History–18th century. I. Title.
II. Series: Palgrave studies in the Enlightenment, romanticism and cultures
of print.
PR924.B55 2006
824.009–dc22 2006045379
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
15 14 13 12 11 10 09 08 07 06
for Rona
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Contents
Acknowledgements ix
Introduction 1
Part 1: Of Essays
1. Draughts of Reading 15
2. By Way of Essays 36
Part 2: Essay Exapted
3. Boyle’s Essay 67
4. Social and Literary Form in the Spectator 86
5. Fleeting Habitations in Tom Jones 107
Appendix A. Whitlock, from ‘The Author to the Reader’ 127
Appendix B. Cornwallis, opening of ‘Of Essaies and 128
Bookes’ (1601)
Appendix C. Cornwallis on Moral Philosophy and Reading 129
Appendix D. Culpepper, ‘Of Essayes’ 132
Notes 133
Bibliography 178
Index 190
vii
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Acknowledgements
This book continues my part of conversations with two friends who
died much too soon, Michael Current and Pablo Cepeda. Both would
have written better books than this one, but I hope I’ve been able to
get into it some of what they taught me.
Many people have helped me with this project, both in the par-
ticulars and in the general moves, readings, and formulations it tries
out. I’m very happy to thank the following teachers, friends, and col-
leagues. At the Johns Hopkins University: Ronald Paulson, Jerome
Christensen, Mary Poovey, Oren Izenberg, Daniel Denecke, Ruth Mack,
David Glimp, Jane Thrailkill. At Villanova University: Vince Sherry,
Evan Radcliffe, Jean Lutes, Heather Hicks, Seth Koven, Erin Connelly.
At the Huntington and Clark Libraries: Roy Ritchie, Ben Schmidt,
Tom McLean, Mark Canuel, Kirstie McClure. In Philadelphia (WIP):
Kathy Rowe, Julian Yates, Kristen Poole, Jane Hedley, Nora Johnson,
Steve Newman, Laura McGrane. In Salt Lake City: Barry Weller. Two
friends have helped me think through the materials of this book,
and much more, far beyond the call of friendship: Lauren Shohet and
Andy Franta.
For not caring about the details of this project, but unstintingly
encouraging its progress, I am grateful to my family. In Boston: my
parents, Sandy and Paul, who’ve been constantly supportive and
always believed this would get done one day; Marc; Jeff, Laurie, and
Zoe. In Philadelphia: Doris and Joe; Lisa, Ed, Amy, and Erin; Donna,
Ivy, Lea, and Micah.
There aren’t words to properly thank Rona, my Rose of Sharon, but
happily she reads well between the lines. What’s best in this is hers
too.
Support for the research and writing of parts of this book came from
fellowships from the Ransom, Clark, and Huntington Libraries, and a
Villanova University Summer Research Fellowship. An earlier version
of Chapter 4 appeared as ‘Social and Literary Form in the Spectator,’
Eighteenth-Century Studies 33:1 (1999), 21–42. © American Society for
Eighteenth-Century Studies. Reprinted with permission of The Johns
Hopkins University Press.
ix