Macaulay

Macaulay by John Morley (1860)

The biography focuses on the life and career of Thomas Babington Macaulay, a British historian and politician. Born in 1800, Macaulay was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge, where he developed his interest in history and literature. Macaulay's early career was marked by his involvement in politics, serving as a Member of Parliament from 1834 to 1856. He was a key figure in the Reform Act of 1832 and played a significant role in shaping British politics during this period. The biography also explores Macaulay's literary contributions, particularly his History of England, which was published in five volumes between 1848 and 1861. This work is considered one of the most influential historical accounts of its time, offering a comprehensive and engaging narrative of English history from the Roman conquest to the Glorious Revolution. Throughout the biography, Morley examines Macaulay's intellectual development, his relationships with other notable figures of the time, and his impact on British politics and culture. The work provides a detailed and nuanced portrait of Macaulay's life and legacy, shedding light on the complexities and contradictions of this influential figure.

By John Morley · First published 1860 · Genre: Biography, Literary Criticism, Historical Analysis · 11,496 words

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'After glancing my eye over the design and order of a new book,' says Gibbon, 'I suspended the perusal till I had finished the task of self-examination, till I had revolved in a solitary walk all that I knew or believed or had thought on the subject of the whole work or of some particular chapter; I was then qualified to discern how much the author added to my original stock; and if I was sometimes satisfied by the agreement, I was sometimes warned by the opposition of our ideas. ' It is also told of Strafford that before reading any book for the first time, he would call for a sheet of paper, and then proceed to write down upon it some sketch of the ideas that he already had upon the subject of the book, and of the questions that he expected to find answered. No one who has been at the pains to try the experiment, will doubt the usefulness of this practice: it gives to our acquisitions from books clearness and reality, a right place and an independent shape. At this moment we are all looking for the biography of an illustrious man of letters, written by a near kinsman, who is himself naturally endowed with keen literary interests, and who has invigorated his academic cultivation by practical engagement in considerable affairs of public business. Before taking up Mr. Trevelyan's two volumes, it is perhaps worth while, on Strafford's plan, to ask ourselves shortly what kind of significance or value belongs to Lord Macaulay's achievements, and to what place he has a claim among the forces of English literature. It is seventeen years since he died, and those of us who never knew him nor ever saw him, may now think about his work with that perfect detachment which is impossible in the case of actual contemporaries.[1]

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Biography · Historical · Non-fiction · Memoir · Autobiographical · Victorian · British · Politics · History · Intellectual · Cultural · Social

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