Excerpt from Literary Character of Men of Genius: Drawn From Their Own Feelings and Confessions The following Preface was prefixed to an Edition of the author's Miscellaneous Works in 1840. They were comprised in a thick 8vo volume, and included the calamities and quarrels OE authors, now published separately. This Preface is of interest for the expression of the author's own view of these works. This volume comprises my writings on subjects chiefly of our vernacular literature. N ow collected together, they offer an unity of design, and afford to the general reader and to the student of classical antiquity some initiation into our national Literature. It is presumed also, that they present materials for thinking not solely on literary topics; authors and books are not alone here treated of, -a comprehensive view of human nature necessarily enters into the subject from the diversity of the characters portrayed, through the gradations of their faculties, the influence of their tastes, and those incidents of their lives prompted by their fortunes or their passions. This present volume, with its brother curiosities OF literature, now constitute a body of reading which may awaken knowledge in minds only seeking amusement, and refresh the deeper studies of the learned by matters not unworthy of their curiosity. The literary character has been an old favourite with many of my contemporaries departed or now living, who have found it respond to their own emotions. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.