Table-Talk · Chapter
On Corporate Bodies explained
Hazlitt argues that corporate bodies—whether political, academic, or artistic—are inherently corrupt and self-serving, lacking individual conscience.
What happens
Hazlitt argues that corporate bodies—whether political, academic, or artistic—are inherently corrupt and self-serving, lacking individual conscience. The 'esprit de corps' replaces moral sense with collective self-interest, leading to insularity, hostility to outsiders, and resistance to innovation. He illustrates this through examples of universities, the Royal Academy, and municipal corporations, showing how they stifle genius, perpetuate mediocrity, and prioritize form over substance.
Themes in this chapter
Institutional Corruption and Esprit de Corps
Central theme: Hazlitt dissects how corporate bodies prioritize collective self-interest over morality, leading to corruption, insularity, and hostility to outsiders.
Criticism and Critical Practice
Hazlitt employs sharp social criticism to expose the hypocrisy and stagnation of institutions like universities and the Royal Academy.
The Nature of Learning and Pedantry
Universities are portrayed as 'cisterns to hold, not conduits to disperse knowledge,' prioritizing obsolete forms over genuine intellectual progress.
Characters to notice
- William Hazlitt
Author and narrator; presents a scathing critique of corporate bodies and their corrupting influence.
- Sir Joshua Reynolds
Mentioned as having to hold himself aloof from the Royal Academy's internal politics.
- John Milton
Referenced indirectly through the phrase 'the very stones prate' (a paraphrase from Milton's 'Comus').
- Lord Byron
Mentioned as a popular author whose works are read in cathedral towns and close boroughs.
Key passages
“Corporate bodies have no soul.”
Institutions lack moral conscience and are driven solely by collective self-interest.
Opening aphorism setting the chapter's thesis.