Overview


Date 1878-06-22
Publication Academy
Topic WMR reviews T. Moore's Prose, Verse Satire, Shelley
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Subject literature
Keywords literary enquirers
  ↳ accuracy
  ↳ literary value
Standards historical & contextual accuracy
Notes

Annotation details

78 June 22 Academy

Topic:

Book Review.

Citation:

Rossetti, William M. "Prose and Verse, Humorous, Satirical, and Sentimental, by Thomas Moore; with Suppressed Passages from the Memoirs of Lord Byron".Academy (June 22, 1878): 550. Web. 21 September 2011.

Summary:

Rossetti reviews the book, stating at the outset that most ordinary Brits would not be interested in the book's subject matter and content and furthermore, the author couldn't possibly stake his reputation on such material, much of which should be "advisedly consigned to oblivion." The book, he says, would only be interesting to those who have a preconceived interest in satire.

Rossetti criticizes the lack of supporting passages despite the book's title, plus other technical problems, but nonetheless agrees that from a historical or archival standpoint, the book is worthwhile.

Rossetti finds Moore's interpretations to be inaccurately biased based on Rossetti's own firsthand knowledge of Edward John Trelawny and Byron, plus his secondary knowledge of Shelley, rendering questionable the value of Moore's observations regarding Byron and Shelley.

Mode:

Critical

Keywords:

literary enquirers, historical and literary value, accuracy

Standards of Judgment:

historical and contextual accuracy

References:

Moore, Lord Byron, Leigh Hunt, Shelley, Miss Pigot, Edward John Trelawny

Rhetoric:

evaluative, definitive

Writing technique/tone:

explanatory, deductive, narrative

Notable/quotable:

"It is a volume of scraps and leavings, productions on which the writer could not possibly have staked his reputation-the great majority of which, indeed, he would to all appearance have advisedly consigned to oblivion;" "One can hardly imagine a more stupid apology, or a confession of demerit at once more complete and coxcombically unconscious."