On the evidence [of this volume] Hogg is a writer of enormous versatility, ambition and literary accomplishments whose work ought to feature on every Romantic syllabus. The editors of SSC are making this possible for the first time - Romanticists should seize the opportunity. Rubenstein's introduction ! is useful and perceptive., as when she suggests that Anecdotes was, for Hogg, ... Read more'a sort of declaration of independence'. In it, Hogg's rich voice ricochets from affection and awe to irritation and resentment.
Rosemary Goring What makes this in the end fascinating and compelling reading is that Hogg does not present us with a balanced and distanced account of someone else's life but rather opens up to us a particularly interesting relationship between two people, a relationship which attracts our attention because, like real-life relationships, it is not without its ups and downs, its tensions and disturbances... Jill Rubenstein's excellent introduction to these texts provides us, amongst other things, with a balanced and perceptive account of the two writers' complex relationship! "the tribute of one remarkable man to another, both flawed and both admirable, living in a remarkable time." The editorial task has been undertaken with a peculiar degree of commitment and with a determination that a long-postponed duty towards James Hogg will now be undertaken with a thoroughness which should stand the test of time. On the evidence [of this volume] Hogg is a writer of enormous versatility, ambition and literary accomplishments whose work ought to feature on every Romantic syllabus. The editors of SSC are making this possible for the first time - Romanticists should seize the opportunity. Rubenstein's introduction ! is useful and perceptive., as when she suggests that Anecdotes was, for Hogg, 'a sort of declaration of independence'. In it, Hogg's rich voice ricochets from affection and awe to irritation and resentment. What makes this in the end fascinating and compelling reading is that Hogg does not present us with a balanced and distanced account of someone else's life but rather opens up to us a particularly interesting relationship between two people, a relationship which attracts our attention because, like real-life relationships, it is not without its ups and downs, its tensions and disturbances... Jill Rubenstein's excellent introduction to these texts provides us, amongst other things, with a balanced and perceptive account of the two writers' complex relationship! "the tribute of one remarkable man to another, both flawed and both admirable, living in a remarkable time." The editorial task has been undertaken with a peculiar degree of commitment and with a determination that a long-postponed duty towards James Hogg will now be undertaken with a thoroughness which should stand the test of time. Show Less