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Chesterfield and His Critics
Hardcover
Literary FiguresLiterary CriticismGeneral World History
ISBN13: 9781025544151
Publisher: Tradd Street Press
Published: Feb 14 2026
Pages: 346
Weight: 1.45
Height: 0.81 Width: 6.14 Depth: 9.21
Language: English
In Chesterfield and His Critics, Roger Coxon provides a comprehensive and scholarly examination of the life, character, and literary legacy of Philip Stanhope, the 4th Earl of Chesterfield. Best known for his famous Letters to His Son, Chesterfield has often been the subject of polarized opinions, frequently overshadowed by the biting criticisms of his contemporaries, most notably Samuel Johnson. Coxon seeks to re-evaluate these historical assessments, offering a more nuanced perspective on a man often mischaracterized as a mere tutor of superficial manners.
This work delves into the 18th-century social and political landscape, exploring how Chesterfield's wit, diplomatic career, and personal ethics influenced his writings and his public perception. By analyzing both the praise and the vitriol directed toward him, Coxon illuminates the complexities of Chesterfield's personality and the intellectual climate of the Enlightenment. The book serves as both a biography and a piece of literary history, vindicating the Earl from long-standing misconceptions while highlighting his significant contributions to English prose and epistolary style.
Ideal for students of 18th-century literature and history, Chesterfield and His Critics remains a vital resource for understanding one of the Georgian era's most fascinating figures. Coxon's meticulous research ensures a compelling portrait of a statesman and writer whose influence continues to be debated in the canon of Western literature.
This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you may see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.
This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.
As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
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