W. R. Greg: a Sketch

W. R. Greg: a Sketch by John Morley

The biography focuses on the life and career of W.R. Greg, a prominent figure in Victorian England. It explores his intellectual development, his involvement in various social and economic issues, and his relationships with other notable figures of the time. Greg's early life and education are examined, highlighting his family background and his exposure to radical ideas that shaped his worldview. The biography then delves into his career as a journalist, politician, and economist, discussing his contributions to debates on slavery, women's rights, and social reform. Throughout the book, Morley provides insight into Greg's complex personality, revealing both his intellectual rigor and his personal flaws. The biography also examines Greg's relationships with other notable figures of the time, including politicians, writers, and thinkers. The author's analysis is grounded in a thorough examination of primary sources, including letters, diaries, and newspaper articles. Morley's writing style is clear and engaging, making the biography accessible to readers interested in Victorian history and culture. Overall, the book offers a nuanced and comprehensive portrait of W.R. Greg, shedding light on his significance within the broader context of Victorian England.

By John Morley · First published 1873 · Genre: Biography, Literary Criticism, Historical · 14,210 words

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It is perhaps a little hard to undertake to write about the personality of a thinker whose ideas one does not share, and whose reading of the events and tendencies of our time was in most respects directly opposite to one's own. But literature is neutral ground. Character is more than opinion. Here we may forget the loud cries and sounding strokes, the watchwords and the tactics of the tented field, and fraternise with the adversary of the eve and the morrow in friendly curiosity and liberal recognition. It fell to the present writer at one time to have one or two bouts of public controversy with Mr. Greg. In these dialectics Mr. Greg was never vehement and never pressed, but he was inclined to be -- or, at least, was felt by an opponent to be -- dry, mordant, and almost harsh. These disagreeable prepossessions were instantly dissipated, as so often happens, by personal acquaintance. He had not only the courtesy of the good type of the man of the world, but an air of moral suavity, when one came near enough to him, that was infinitely attractive and engaging. He was urbane, essentially modest, and readily interested in ideas and subjects other than his own. There was in his manner and address something of what the French call _liant_. When the chances of residence made me his neighbour, an evening in his drawing-room, or half an hour's talk in casual meetings in afternoon walks on Wimbledon Common, was always a particularly agreeable incident. Some men and women have the quality of atmosphere. The egotism of the natural man is surrounded by an elastic medium. Mr. Greg was one of these personalities with an atmosphere elastic, stimulating, elevating, and yet composing. We do wrong to narrow our interests to those only of our contemporaries who figure with great lustre and _eclat_ in the world. Some of the quiet characters away from the centre of great affairs are as well worth our attention as those who in high-heeled cothurnus stalk across the foreground.

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W. R. Greg: a Sketch is listed on Textopian as an essay by John Morley, dated 1873 CE.

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Biography · Sketch · Memoir · Victorian Era · Social Reform · Economics · Politics · Philosophy · Intellectual History · British History · 19th Century · Liberalism

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