William Hazlitt opens this collection with a meditation on the distinct pleasures of painting compared to writing, arguing that the artist engages in a direct, harmonious struggle with nature rather than contending with the hostile world of opinions. He explores how the intense study of visual art refines the mind, giving substance to abstract visions and cultivating an intuitive understanding of human character.
The essays delve deeply into the contrast between the past and future. Hazlitt contends that the past is a substantial, undeniable part of human existence, rich with reality and feeling, whereas the future exists only as a domain of action and uneasy apprehension. He observes that while we eagerly anticipate what is to come, our deepest and most permanent satisfaction resides in the rich storehouse of memory.
A central theme is the nature of genius, common sense, and originality. Hazlitt asserts that true genius is not the result of rigid rules or academic learning, but springs from an intense, involuntary sympathy with some specific quality in nature. Common sense, similarly, is described as tacit reason—the accumulated, unconscious result of a lifetime of observation and experience, far superior to the narrow, partial theories of pedants.
The author applies these insights to character studies, examining figures such as the political writer William Cobbett and various theoretical enthusiasts. He analyzes how obsessive focus on a single idea can warp the understanding, leading to a kind of sober madness where men become slaves to their own caprices and antipathies.
Throughout the collection, Hazlitt maintains a steadfast preference for uncultivated truth and genuine human feeling over scholastic learning. He argues that mere book-learning often stifles original thought, leaving the scholar blind to the actual world around him. Ultimately, these essays advocate for a life guided by sincere observation, emotional depth, and the quiet comfort of personal independence.
