Burke

Morley, John, 1838-1923Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.8

Word count: 383K words
Chapters: 39

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Burke by John MorleyAuthor: Morley, John, 1838-1923,Language: English, Class: DA: History: General and Eastern Hemisphere: Great Britain, Ireland, Central Europe, Release Date: Jul 17, 2004

Editor's review

This is a biographical and critical study of Edmund Burke, the British statesman and thinker, by John Morley, a prominent nineteenth-century English critic and politician. Rather than a simple chronological account of Burke's life, the book sets his political career and intellectual development against the background of his age, with particular attention to his parliamentary speeches, his reflections on the French Revolution, and the formation of his conservative political ideas. Morley himself had strong political commitments, so the book is critical biography in character: it narrates facts and also argues. For readers seeking to understand the origins of conservative thought, the tradition of British parliamentary politics, or eighteenth-century political debate, it offers a fairly systematic point of entry. The prose belongs to the Victorian essayistic style—long sentences and dense argumentation—and requires patient close reading. It is best suited as supplementary reading in intellectual and political history rather than as a light, entertaining biography.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in conservative thought and British political history
Scholars and students studying Burke's political speeches and eighteenth-century parliamentary politics
Readers who enjoy intellectual critical biography and are willing to read argumentative prose closely
Readers in the humanities and social sciences who need background on British political tradition

Not a good fit for

General readers looking only for a light, story-driven biography
Those with little interest in eighteenth-century British politics
Readers unaccustomed to long-sentence argumentative prose and seeking fast-paced reading

Reading tips

Gain a basic background in the French Revolution and British parliamentary reform before starting the main text
As you read, distinguish Burke's biographical facts from Morley's critical stance and take brief notes
Read alongside selections from Burke's own writings to deepen understanding
After each chapter, review the core arguments to avoid losing focus amid long argumentative sentences

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book written by Burke himself?

No. It is a biographical and critical study of Edmund Burke written by John Morley—an account and assessment of Burke's life and thought by another author, not a work by Burke. Readers should note Morley's own political stance and evaluative perspective.

Can I read it without a background in British political history?

Yes, but it will be somewhat demanding. The book involves eighteenth-century British parliamentary politics, party controversy, and the French Revolution, and without that background it is easy to lose the thread of the argument. It is advisable to acquire some basic historical knowledge first, or to use an edition with an introduction.

How difficult is this book?

It is a moderately to fairly demanding work of intellectual critical biography, written in Victorian essayistic prose with long sentences and dense argumentation. It is not suited to quick skimming; it is better read closely in sections with notes, and is especially suited to readers with a clear interest in the history of political thought.

Comments

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About the author

Morley, John, 1838-1923 Author

John Morley (1838–1923) was a British statesman, writer and biographer, though public information about the details of his life is limited. Thirty of his works are held in this collection, mainly in the fields of intellectual history and political biography. His three-volume Life of William Ewart Gladstone draws on detailed sources and a restrained style to trace the career of this British statesman, and is an important reference for understanding Victorian politics. He also wrote Diderot and the Encyclopaedists and Voltaire, studies of French Enlightenment figures and their thought. Essays in his Critical Miscellanies deal with the life of George Eliot and eighteenth-century France, showing his wide interests in literary criticism and historical writing. Overall, his work tends toward intellectual biography, with solid material and clear prose that is both scholarly and readable.