Bagehot’s glittering prose makes it a pleasure to read even his most mistaken opinions
W.W. Norton; 368 pages; $29.95 and £19.99.’s greatest editor. During his 16 years in the job—from 1861 to his death in 1877—he transformed the publication from the mouthpiece of a laissez-faire sect into the voice of mature Gladstonian liberalism. He did this through a combination of natural literary genius and somewhat reluctant networking.
This is a dazzling range of achievements—and may explain why Bagehot fell down dead at the age of 51. But does it justify the claim first made for him by G.M. Young, the most intelligent historian of Victorian England, and echoed in the title of James Grant’s new book, that he was not just a great editor and great figure about town but also “the greatest Victorian”?
Bagehot came from the provincial bourgeoisie. His father was a well-off banker, but hardly the sort of man to rub shoulders with the greatest in the land. His mother suffered from frequent mental breakdowns. His home town of Langport in Somerset was comfortable but out of the way. Rather than Oxford or Cambridge, Bagehot attended University College, London, a new “radical infidel college” designed for people who refused to subscribe to the tenets of the Church of England.
Rather than resenting the upstart, the great and the good embraced him, awed by his knowledge of arcane subjects such as finance, dazzled by the bright light of his intellect and by his sparkling prose. E.D.J. Wilson, a journalistic contemporary, judged that, at the height of his powers, he was “an unofficial member of every Cabinet, Conservatives as well as Liberal” and an adviser to every chancellor.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
The 38 Essential Seattle Restaurants, Summer 2019Your guide to Seattle’s greatest restaurants for any occasion
Read more »
21 Savage Plays His Greatest Hits at 'I Am | I Was' New York City Tour StopOn Thursday night (Aug. 8), 21 Savage took his i am | i was Tour to New York City's Pier 17.
Read more »
“The President of the United States Says It’s Okay”: The Rise of the Trump DefenseAttorneys for Cesar Sayoc invoked the president’s words to help explain their client’s actions, part of a growing trend in which Trump’s name is surfacing in high-profile cases.
Read more »
Target’s Bringing Back Some of its Best Designer CollabsTarget is celebrating 20 years of designer partnerships by dipping back into the archives to resurrect 20 of its favorite collaborations.
Read more »
I Started Doing This in Front of the Mirror, and It's the 1 Thing That's Helped Me Love My BodyWe all have that one part of our body that we always zero in on and talk badly about. Mine was my belly. Even before my stomach miraculously expanded to grow
Read more »
Chuck Leavell Remains the Calm Center of the Rolling StonesRolling Stones keyboardist Chuck Leavell is used to being the calm in the eye of a crossfire hurricane.
Read more »