The British Critic: Volume 14

The British Critic. This Sept. 1820 issue assembles detailed reviews across biography, poetry, travel, political economy, and sermons, reflecting the era’s blend of moral consequence and literary experimentation. It surveys Memoirs of Richard Lovell Edgeworth, praising its steadier tone and practical intellect while noting Edgeworth’s ordinary character and controversial third marriage; Anastasius: or, Memoirs of a Greek, condemned for cynical satire yet recognized for vivid observation of Turkish domains and Greek society; Keats’ Poems (Lamia, Isabella, Eve of St. Agnes, Hyperion), praised for genuine poetic power but faulted for affectation, with calls to study Spenser and Milton. The Life of Andrew Hofer is lauded for clarity and heroism, while Principles of Political Economy (Malthus) is defended against Ricardo, arguing profits depend on capital-labor-demand balances. Faber’s Sermons are praised for edifying method with some doctrinal hesitations. Local summaries add Wesley’s life and Methodism; Milman’s Fall of Jerusalem; Walpole’s Travels in the East; Prichard’s Egyptian Mythology; Chalmers’ sermons; and a Say–Malthus critique on political economy, among others. Overall, the issue reflects debates on church authority, moral instruction, and the role of literature in public understanding during the Romantic era.