Horace Walpole

About This Book

This critical-analytical study of Horace Walpole surveys his enduring intellectual achievement as it is reflected in his major works. The minutiae of eighteenth-century social life, for which Walpole as a gossipy letter writer is the chief primary source of information, have generally been underplayed or avoided. Instead, emphasis has been placed on Walpole's varied literary output -- his criticism, imaginative creations, and political memoirs, all those writings that have signifcantly contributed to his lasting reputation; and his letters are used whenever they may help illuminate these texts under discussion. - Preface.