The present thesis examines Hogarth's commentators of the Georgian era. It commences with an examination of the writings on Hogarth which appear during his lifetime and ends with the discussion of the essays of Lamb and Hazlitt published at the beginning of the nineteenth century. The aim is to investigate how the Hogarthian erudition is born and developed and to show the importance and decisive role of Georgian commentators in the development of Hogarthian studies. It presents the undiminished interest in Hogarth and his important place in English culture. This thesis analyzes how the preoccupation with Hogarth's subject and artistic merit is developed. It also examines how each period discovers 'its own Hogarth' based on its dominant ideas and needs and how identities and 'patterns' of study regarding Hogarth and his art are created. Additionally, it delineates how the personal ideas and aims of each commentator influence their writings on Hogarth. This thesis shows that Hogarthian erudition is a long and unbreakable progress in which every generation of commentators contributes building on or contradicting the discoveries of the previous ones. Finally, it hopes to aid modern scholarship to come into contact with forgotten interpretations and ideas which can provide inspiration for new ways of reading and understanding of Hogarth's works. The first chapter presents the identities which the writings appearing during Hogarth's lifetime bestow on the artist. The second chapter discusses the moralistic book of the Reverend John Trusler. The third chapter analyzes the unfavourable approaches of the two eminent connoisseurs William Gilpin and Horace Walpole. The fourth chapter deals with the era of the classical scholars and of 'Hogarthomania' by presenting the writings of John Nichols, John Ireland and Samuel Ireland along with lesser-known commentators such as Thomas Cook, Thomas Clerk and Samuel Felton. Finally, the fifth and last chapter analyzes the important writings of Lamb and Hazlitt and shows their wholehearted acceptance of Hogarth both for the importance of his subjects and his aesthetic merit.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:536966 |
| Date | January 2011 |
| Creators | Karayianni, Mikela |
| Publisher | University of Essex |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
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