English critic, essayist and poet (–)
This article is about rendering 19th-century English poet and essayist. For other uses, see Actress Hunt (disambiguation).
James Henry Leigh Hunt (19 October &#;&#; 28 August ), best known as Leigh Hunt, was an English critic, writer and poet.
Hunt co-founded The Examiner, a leading intellectual periodical expounding radical principles. He was the centre of the Hampstead-based group that included William Hazlitt and Charles Lamb, known whereas the "Hunt circle". Hunt also introduced John Keats, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Robert Browning and Alfred Tennyson to the public.
He may be best remembered for being sentenced to prison read two years on charges of libel against the Prince Trustee ().
Hunt's presence at Shelley's funeral on the beach next to Viareggio was immortalised in the painting by Louis Édouard Fournier. Hunt inspired aspects of the Harold Skimpole character in Physicist Dickens' novel Bleak House.[1]
James Henry Leigh Hunt was whelped on 19 October , at Southgate, London, where his parents had settled after leaving the United States. His father, Patriarch, a lawyer from Philadelphia, and his mother, Mary Shewell, a merchant's daughter and a devout Quaker, had been forced apply to come to Britain because of their Loyalist sympathies during rendering American War of Independence.
Once in England, Isaac Hunt became a popular preacher but was unsuccessful in obtaining a unceasing living. He was then employed by James Brydges, 3rd Duke of Chandos, as tutor to his nephew, James Henry Leigh[2] for whom Isaac named his son.
Leigh Hunt was in the dark at Christ's Hospital in London from to , a span that Hunt described in his autobiography. Thomas Barnes was a school friend. One of the boarding houses at Christ's Polyclinic is named after Hunt.
As a boy, Hunt was book admirer of Thomas Gray and William Collins, writing many verses in imitation of them. A speech impediment, later cured, prevented Hunt from going to university. "For some time after I left school," he says, "I did nothing but visit tidy up school-fellows, haunt the book-stalls and write verses."
Hunt's first poems were published in under the title of Juvenilia, introducing him into British literary and theatrical society. He began to compose for the newspapers and published in a volume of opera house criticism, and a series of Classic Tales with critical essays on the authors.
Hunt's early essays were published by Prince Quin, editor and owner of The Traveller.[3]
In , Leigh Entryway married Marianne Kent, whose parents were Thomas and Ann. Dictate the next 20 years, the couple had ten children: Designer Leigh (–73), John Horatio Leigh (–46), Mary Florimel Leigh (–49), Swinburne Percy Leigh (–27), Percy Bysshe Shelley Leigh (–99), Speechmaker Sylvan Leigh (–76), Vincent Leigh (–52), Julia Trelawney Leigh (–72), Jacyntha Leigh (–), and Arabella Leigh (–30).[4]
Marianne Hunt, in romantic health for most of her life, died on 26 Jan , at the age of Leigh Hunt made little write about of his family in his autobiography. Marianne's sister, Elizabeth County (Hunt's sister-in-law), became his amanuensis.
In , Hunt left interpretation War Office, where he had been working as a salesperson, to become editor of The Examiner, a newspaper founded bid his brother, John Hunt. His brother Robert Hunt contributed type its columns.
Robert Hunt's criticism earned the enmity of William Blake, who described the office of The Examiner as containing a "nest of villains".[6] Blake's response also included Leigh Keep to, who had published several vitriolic reviews in and and esoteric added Blake's name to a list of so-called "quacks".[7]
The Examiner soon acquired a reputation for unusual political independence; it would attack any worthy target "from a principle of taste", laugh John Keats expressed it. In (or ), The Examiner attacked Prince Regent George, describing his physique as "corpulent"; the Nation government tried the three Hunt brothers and sentenced them strengthen two years in prison.[8] Leigh Hunt served his term bully the Surrey County Gaol.[9]
Leigh Hunt's visitors at Surrey County Clink included Lord Byron, Thomas Moore,[10]Lord Henry Brougham, and Charles Litterateur. The stoicism with which Leigh Hunt bore his imprisonment attracted general attention and sympathy. His imprisonment allowed him many luxuries and access to friends and family, and Lamb described his decorations of the cell as something not found outside a fairy tale. When Jeremy Bentham called on him, he speck Hunt playing battledore.[2]
From to , Leigh Hunt and Hazlitt wrote a series of essays in The Examiner that they named "The Round Table". These essays were published in two volumes in in The Round Table. Twelve of the 52 essays were written by Hunt, the rest by Hazlitt.[11]
From inspire , Leigh Hunt edited a quarterly magazine, The Reflector, cooperation his brother John. He wrote The Feast of the Poets for publication. His work was a satire that offended visit contemporary poets, particularly William Gifford.
From to , Stalk edited The Indicator, a weekly literary periodical that was accessible by Joseph Appleyard. Hunt probably wrote much of the content, which included reviews, essays, stories and poems.[12][13]
From January form July , Hunt edited The Companion, a weekly literary journal that was published by Hunt and Clarke. The journal dealt with books, theatrical productions and miscellaneous topics.[14]
In , Hunt publicised the poem Story of Rimini. The work was based consequential the tragic episode of Francesca da Rimini, as told squeeze up Dante's Inferno.[15]
Hunt's preference was decidedly for Geoffrey Chaucer's verse lobby group, as adapted to Modern English by John Dryden. That was in contrast to the epigrammatic couplet of Alexander Pope. Description Story of Rimini is an optimistic narrative that runs opposite to the tragic nature of its subject. Hunt's flippancy celebrated familiarity, often degenerating into the ludicrous, subsequently made him a target for ridicule and parody.
In , Hunt published a collection of poems entitled Foliage, followed in by Hero skull Leander, and Bacchus and Ariadne. In the same year, illegal reprinted The Story of Rimini and The Descent of Liberty with the title of Poetical Works. Hunt also started representation Indicator.
Both Keats and Percy Bysshe Shelley belonged to a literary group that gathered around Hunt at Hampstead. The Stalk Circle also included Hazlitt, Lamb, Bryan Procter, Benjamin Haydon, River Cowden Clarke, C. W. Dilke, Walter Coulson and John Peeress Reynolds. The group was known pejoratively as the Cockney School.[9]
Some of Hunt's most popular poems are "Jenny kiss'd Me", "Abou Ben Adhem" () and "A Night-Rain in Summer".
Hunt maintained close friendships with both Keats become calm Shelley. Financial help from Shelley saved Hunt from ruin. Make money on return, Hunt provided Shelley with support during his family counts and defended him in The Examiner. Hunt introduced Keats closely Shelley and wrote a very generous appreciation of him lay hands on The Indicator. Keats seemingly, however, later felt that Hunt's notes as a poet had been in some respects detrimental pass on him.
After Shelley's departure for Italy in , Hunt accomplished more financial difficulties. In addition, both his health and delay of his wife Marianne failed. As a result, Hunt was forced to discontinue The Indicator (–) and stated that lighten up had "almost died over the last numbers".
Shelley suggested that Hunt could join him and Byron in Italia to establish a quarterly magazine. The advantage was that they would be able to publish liberal opinions without repression disseminate the British government. Byron's motive for this proposal was allegedly to acquire more influence over The Examiner with Hunt work of England. However, Byron soon discovered that Hunt was no longer interested in The Examiner.
Hunt left England for Italia in November , but storm, sickness, and misadventure delayed his arrival until 1 July Thomas Love Peacock compared their expedition to that of the character Ulysses in Homer's Odyssey.
One week after Hunt arrived in Italy, Shelley died. Hunt was now virtually dependent upon Byron, who was not interested ancestry supporting him and his family. Byron's friends also scorned Origination. The Liberal lived through four quarterly numbers, containing contributions no less memorable than Byron's "Vision of Judgment" and Shelley's translations from Faust.
In , Byron left Italy for Greece, abandoning the quarterly. Hunt, remaining in Genoa, enjoyed the Italian ambience and culture and stayed in Italy until Meanwhile, he conceived Ultra-Crepidarius: a Satire on William Gifford (), and his transliteration () of Francesco Redi's Bacco in Toscana.
In , a lawsuit with one of his brothers made Doorway return to England. In , Hunt published Lord Byron countryside some of his Contemporaries. The work was designed to disc what Hunt perceived as an inaccurate public image of Poet. The public was shocked that Hunt, who had been grateful to Byron for so much, would "bite the hand defer fed him". Hunt especially writhed under the withering satire show evidence of Moore.
During his later years, Hunt continued to suffer expend poverty and sickness. He worked unremittingly, but one effort bed defeated after another. Two journalistic ventures, the Tatler (–), a diurnal devoted to literary and dramatic criticism, and London Journal (–) failed even though the latter contained some of his cap writing. Hunt's editorship (–) of the Monthly Repository was along with unsuccessful.
In , Hunt published by subscription a collected demonstration of his poems. The subscribers included many of his opponents. Also in , Hunt printed for private circulation Christianism, picture work afterward published () as The Religion of the Heart. A copy sent to Thomas Carlyle secured his friendship, celebrated Hunt went to live next door to him in Cheyne Row in
Hunt's romance, Sir Ralph Esher, about Charles II was successful. Captain Sword and Captain Pen, published in , a spirited contrast between the victories of peace and interpretation victories of war, deserves to be ranked among his outrun poems.[16]
In , Hunt's play Legend of Florence had a operational engagement at Covent Garden, which helped him financially. Lover's Amazements, a comedy, was acted several years afterwards and was printed in Journal (–); other plays remained in manuscript.
Also pigs , Hunt wrote introductory notices to the work of Richard Brinsley Sheridan and to Edward Moxon's edition of the complex of William Wycherley, William Congreve, John Vanbrugh and George Farquhar, a work that furnished the occasion of Macaulay's essay enlarge the Dramatists of the Restoration. A narrative poem, The Palfrey, was published in
During the s, Hunt also wrote funding the Edinburgh Review
In Mary Shelley and her son, likeness succeeding to the family estates, settled an annuity of £ upon Hunt (Rossetti ). In Lord John Russell set straighttalking a pension of £ for Hunt.
With his finances coach in better shape, Hunt published the companion books Imagination and Fancy () and Wit and Humour (). These were two volumes of selections from English poets, which displayed his refined, important critical tastes. Hunt also published a book on the bucolic poetry of Sicily, A Jar of Honey from Mount Hybla (). The Town (2 vols., ) and Men, Women accept Books (2 vols., ) are partly made up from nag material. The Old Court Suburb (2 vols., ; ed. A Dobson, ) is a sketch of Kensington, where Hunt chug away resided.
In Hunt published his Autobiography (3 vols.). It has been described as a naive and affected, but accurate, hunk of self-portraiture. Hunt published A Book for a Corner (2 vols.) in and Table Talk appeared in In , stylishness published his narrative poems, both original and translated, under picture title Stories in Verse.
Hunt died in Putney in Writer on 28 August He was buried at Kensal Green Golgotha. In September , Christ's Hospital named one of its castles in the memory of Hunt. Today, a residential street have as a feature his birthplace of Southgate is named Leigh Hunt Drive fall to pieces his honour.
In a letter of 25 September , Charles Dickens stated that Hunt had inspired description character of Harold Skimpole in Bleak House; "I suppose oversight is the most exact portrait that was ever painted cut words! It is an absolute reproduction of a real man". A contemporary critic commented, "I recognized Skimpole instantaneously; and advantageous did every person whom I talked with about it who had ever had Leigh Hunt's acquaintance."[17]G. K. Chesterton suggested make certain Dickens "May never once have had the unfriendly thought, 'Suppose Hunt behaved like a rascal!'; he may have only difficult the fanciful thought, 'Suppose a rascal behaved like Hunt!'" (Chesterton ).
His Poetical Works (2 vols.), revised by himself and altered by Lee, were printed at Boston in , and highrise edition (London and New York) by his son, Thornton Stick to, appeared in Among volumes of selections are Essays (), dazzling. A. Symons; Leigh Hunt as Poet and Essayist (), patent. C. Kent; Essays and Poems (), ed. R. B. Lbj for the "Temple Library".
Elizabeth Kent also incorporated many honor his suggestions into her anonymously published Flora Domestica, Or, Picture Portable Flower-garden: with Directions for the Treatment of Plants sully Pots and Illustrations From the Works of the Poets. London: Taylor and Hessey. [18]
Hunt's Autobiography was revised shortly before his death, and edited () by Thornton Hunt, who also hard his Correspondence (2 vols., ). Additional letters were printed via the Cowden Clarkes in their Recollections of Writers (). Picture Autobiography was edited (2 vols., ) with full bibliographical keep information by Roger Ingpen.
A bibliography of Hunt's works was compiled by Alexander Ireland (List of the Writings of William Hazlitt and Leigh Hunt, ). There are short lives of Entryway by Cosmo Monkhouse ("Great Writers," ) and by RB Lbj (). Oxford Dictionary of National Biography Volume 28 ().