Table-Talk · Chapter
On the Aristocracy of Letters explained
Hazlitt critiques the phenomenon of an 'aristocracy of letters,' where individuals gain unearned reputation through pretension, social standing, or association with nobility rather than actual literary achievement.
What happens
Hazlitt critiques the phenomenon of an 'aristocracy of letters,' where individuals gain unearned reputation through pretension, social standing, or association with nobility rather than actual literary achievement. He contrasts these privileged figures with struggling 'Grub Street' authors, using anecdotes about Britton, Jack Taylor, and Lord Byron to illustrate how birth, wealth, and a grave manner can sustain a false reputation, while true merit often goes unrecognized.
Themes in this chapter
Social Class and Pretension
Hazlitt dissects how birth, wealth, and a 'grave face with an impenetrable manner' allow individuals to assume unearned literary reputation, contrasting them with the 'mere canaille of letters.'
Fame, Reputation, and Public Opinion
The chapter explores how reputation is manufactured through pretension and social standing rather than actual achievement, and how the public colludes in this deception.
Criticism and Critical Practice
Hazlitt engages in critical analysis of literary figures like Lord Byron and the unnamed 'aristocracy of letters,' questioning the basis of their acclaim.
Characters to notice
- William Hazlitt
The author and narrator, reflecting on his own experiences with the literary aristocracy and contrasting his own work with the pretensions of others.
- Britton
Described as a 'contractor for useful and ornamental literature' who is 'learned by proxy' and successful from 'sheer imbecility,' hosting a dinner where Jack Taylor entertained.
- Mr. Taylor
Jack Taylor of the Sun, a raconteur of good things and anecdotes about Peter Pindar, whose humor was cut short by a prudish guest.
- Lord Byron
Cited as an example of a noble poet whose reputation is bolstered by his rank; Hazlitt criticizes his pronouncement that Cowper is no poet.
- Sir Joshua Reynolds
Mentioned in connection with a picture of Mr. Tomkins the Penman, which is the only place where Tomkins now figures.
Key passages
“The only impeccable writers are those that never wrote.”
Writers who never publish anything are the only ones who can be considered faultless, because they never expose themselves to criticism.
Hazlitt's ironic observation on how unearned reputation thrives on the absence of actual work.
“Strip off some of his tarnished laurels, and the coronet appears glittering beneath: restore them, and it still shines through with keener lustre.”
Even if you criticize a noble poet's work, his aristocratic rank still shines through and protects his reputation.
Hazlitt's critique of how Lord Byron's nobility shields him from critical scrutiny.
“There is not a more helpless or more despised animal than a mere author, without any extrinsic advantages of birth, breeding, or fortune to set him off.”
An author without social status, wealth, or noble birth is the most pitied and scorned creature.
Hazlitt's lament on the vulnerability of professional writers compared to aristocratic amateurs.