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the experience of reading in Britain, from 1450 to 1945...

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Listings for Author:  

John Wilson

 

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John Wilson : [MS poems]

'On 13 May 1812, [Henry Crabb] Robinson asked W[ordsworth] about [John] Wilson's recently-published volume, The Isle of Palms: "He said he had seen only a few". W[ordsworth] added that "Wilson's poems are an attenuation of mine ... "... his letter to M[ary] W[ordsworth] of 23 May ... mentions one of Wilson's poems; "which we had in Mss., to the sleeping Child and which is but an Attenuation of my ode to the Highland Girl."'

Century: 1800-1849     Reader/Listener/Group: William Wordsworth      Manuscript: Unknown

  

John Wilson : City of the Plague, and other poems

'read and fin. City of the Plague'

Century: 1800-1849     Reader/Listener/Group: Mary Shelley      Print: Book

  

John Wilson : Noctes Ambrosianae

'Returned home to tea & then amused myself for an hour with the second volume of the "Noctis Ambrosianae" which I purchased to day.'

Century: 1850-1899     Reader/Listener/Group: John Buckley Castieau      Print: Book

  

John Wilson : The City of the Plague

'Did you ever read "The City of the Plague"? If you have, did you not regret that so many passages, such pure poetry, tenderness, and sublimity are mixed with descriptions that would almost prevent one from ever re-opening the volume. Plague and famine are fine subjects for the Muse, but she need not give one a medical detail of their physical horrors.'

Century: 1800-1849     Reader/Listener/Group: Eleanor Anne Porden      Print: Book

  

John Wilson (as Christopher North) : The Recreations of Christopher North (vol. 3)

Elizabeth Barrett to Mary Russell Mitford, ?3 March 1843: 'Mr Kenyon calls Christopher North a "glorious brute" -- [italics]I[end italics] call him a "brute- angel" [...] Oh surely, surely, he is a great poet .. in prose! I am reading the Recreations -- 3d volume.'

Century: 1800-1849     Reader/Listener/Group: Elizabeth Barrett      Print: Book

  

John Wilson : Lights and Shadows of Scottish Life

'On my return home, I found several letters from England; amongst them, one from Miss [-], in which she speaks of W[-]'s "Lights and Shadows of Scottish Life"; and her opinion is valuable and curious, as being that of a clever writer. she says: I hear you were charmed with the "Lights and Shadows of Scottish Life". Some of them I think beautiful, some of them ridiculous, and all want truth and reality; for though I can still relish a fairytale or a romance, yet I do not like fiction in the garb of truth. As mere creations of fancy, they are fine; as pictures of Scottish life and human nature, they are false. But do not let me forget this Mr [-] is an [italics] awfu' [end italics] man to have for one's enemy. The greatest wonder of the day, I think, is that "Adam Blair" should be the author of "Valerius" - two works so totally different in every respect. What prodigious versatility of power the writer of them must possess! Of course you know it is Mr Lockhart, the son-in-law of Scott'.

Century: 1800-1849     Reader/Listener/Group: Charlotte Bury      Print: Book

  

John Wilson : Lights and Shadows of Scottish Life

'On my return home, I found several letters from England; amongst them, one from Miss [-], in which she speaks of W[-]'s "Lights and Shadows of Scottish Life"; and her opinion is valuable and curious, as being that of a clever writer. she says: I hear you were charmed with the "Lights and Shadows of Scottish Life". Some of them I think beautiful, some of them ridiculous, and all want truth and reality; for though I can still relish a fairytale or a romance, yet I do not like fiction in the garb of truth. As mere creations of fancy, they are fine; as pictures of Scottish life and human nature, they are false. But do not let me forget this Mr [-] is an [italics] awfu' [end italics] man to have for one's enemy. The greatest wonder of the day, I think, is that "Adam Blair" should be the author of "Valerius" - two works so totally different in every respect. What prodigious versatility of power the writer of them must possess! Of course you know it is Mr Lockhart, the son-in-law of Scott'.

Century: 1800-1849     Reader/Listener/Group: Miss [-]      Print: Book

  

John Wilson : City of the Plague, The

'Wilson is publishing a poem entitled "The City of the Plague". It is in the dramatic form and a perfect anomaly in literature. Wilson is a man of great genius and fancy but he is intoxicated with Wordsworth and a perfect dreamer of moons ships seas and solitudes were it not for this antihydrophobia (forgive my mangling of that long Greek word) I do not know what he might not be capable of'.

Century: 1800-1849     Reader/Listener/Group: James Hogg      Manuscript: Unknown

  

John Wilson : [ review of 'Hogg's Tales, &c.']

'Send me word directly about Wilson's success. I cannot tell you how anxious I am about. I would not even wish him to know how anxious I am about as I look on it to be a desiderratum in his literary life. It is a most friendly review and will help the sale of the tales greatly but the Magazine on the whole is not a superior one. The first article is however [italics] very good [end italics]'

Century: 1800-1849     Reader/Listener/Group: James Hogg      Print: Serial / periodical

  

John Wilson : Lights and Shadows of Scottish Life

'I think very highly of both the books you have sent me but far most highly of Lights and Shadows in which there is a great deal of very powerful effect purity of sentiment and fine writing but with very little of real nature as it exists in the walks of Scottish life The feelings and language of the author are those of Romance Still it is a fine and beautiful work.'

Century: 1800-1849     Reader/Listener/Group: James Hogg      Print: Book

  

John Wilson : [various items in Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine]

'I am indeed highly delighted with the magazine as I well may for in all my life I never saw a more original miscellany. I think the letter from THE GOTH the shrewdest and cleverest thing I ever saw but every thing is a gem though they are all of different waters. The Stott is rather too bad. It was hardly worth while tearing the guts out of the thing in such a turgid butcherlike stile. Believe me there will be some kick up about it. The critique on the [italics] jubilee [end italics] is a real good natured thing one would have thought it hardly possble to have made as much out of a trifle'.

Century: 1800-1849     Reader/Listener/Group: James Hogg      Print: Serial / periodical

  

John Wilson : Trials of Margaret Lyndsay, The

'I am delighted more than I can tell you with Margt Lindsay. It is a charming work pure, elegant, and perfect; all save two or three trivial misnomers regarding the character of Scottish peasantry [Hogg then compliments the author] The part that I like a thousand times best is what no other seems to regard namely the whole of Daniel Craig's character and its renovation. There is a charm in that which few will have the good taste to discover But it is nature; at least far closer on genuine nature than aught the author ever touched on. I dare say it was merely by accident but it shows what he can do'

Century: 1800-1849     Reader/Listener/Group: James Hogg      Print: Book

  

John Wilson : 'Wrestliana', in Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine

'Piercy Mallory is an extraordinary work. In character it is inimitable not in original design but in amazing strength of colouring. In nature and interest it is defective but I cannot tell you the half I would say about it in this line. The Maga. is excellent. no dross. But I think I am still most delighted with old Tim of them all. He is uniformly the first I read and Wrestliana is the very thing for me.'

Century: 1800-1849     Reader/Listener/Group: James Hogg      Print: Serial / periodical

  

John Wilson :  'Hints for the Holidays. No. III' [in Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine]

'I have only read the first article of Maga which is a glorious confusion a miscellany of itself the other long articles I dont like'.

Century: 1800-1849     Reader/Listener/Group: James Hogg      Print: Serial / periodical

  

John Wilson : 'The Age - A Poem - in Eight Books' [Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine]

'Though Maga would have the better [sic] of something of mine it is nevertheless an excellent number. "The Age" is inimitable so is "The Currency"and indeed the whole is excellent save that our friend has rather overstrained the "wishing Gate"'

Century: 1800-1849     Reader/Listener/Group: James Hogg      Print: Serial / periodical

  

John Wilson : 'Unimore. A Dream of the Highlands'

'The twin Magas are excellent with the exception of "La petite Madelaine" which to me is quite despicable! To slight your old friend for such feminine frible-frable! Wilson [TEAR] poem is most splendid but I have never been able to get straight through it nor I don't think any man ever will'

Century: 1800-1849     Reader/Listener/Group: James Hogg      Print: Newspaper

  

John Wilson : Isle of Palms, and Other Poems

'On the appearance of Mr Wilson's "Isle of Palms", I was so greatly taken with many of his fanciful and visionary scenes, descriptive of bliss and woe, that it had a tendency to divest me occasionally of all worldly feelings. I reviewed this poem, as well as many others, in a Scottish Review then going on in Edinburgh'.

Century: 1700-1799     Reader/Listener/Group: James Hogg      Print: Book

 

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