Themes of the essay The Fight by William Hazlitt.
Answers
William Hazlitt (10 April 1778 – 18 September 1830) was an English essayist, drama and literary critic, painter, social commentator, and philosopher. He is now considered one of the greatest critics and essayists in the history of the English language,[1][2] placed in the company of Samuel Johnson and George Orwell.[3][4] He is also acknowledged as the finest art critic of his age.[5] Despite his high standing among historians of literature and art, his work is currently little read and mostly out of print.The Fight” is, arguably, his most famous essay; certainly it is one of the most famous pieces of writing not only about boxing, but about any sport. The fight described in the essay took place on Hungerford Common on December 11, 1821 between Bill Neate, a Hungerford butcher, and Tom Hickman, the “Gaslight” Man. It must be remembered that prizefighting, though tremendously popular in Regency England, was illegal at this time, so the location of fights was always something of a mystery, a rumor, a tip, or some sort of “inside dope,” for the pilgrims journeying to see them. Twenty-two thousand people attended this particular match (a crowd the size of which ought not to have eluded the attention of the police). This was Hazlitt’s first prizefight, yet he speaks like a seasoned spectator and gives the reader an insider view of the world of the Fancy, the habitués, aficionados, denizens, and patrons of the world of prizefighting. His description of the actual bout is as good as anything Pierce Egan, the premiere boxing journalist of the day, could have written. Note that under the rules of prizefighting at that time wrestling, hair pulling, butting, tripping, and holding were all legal tactics. A round ended when one of the combatants was knocked down or fell down. Each fighter then returned to his corner and given 30 seconds to “come to scratch,” a line drawn in the middle of the ring, to signify they were willing and able to continue the match. A fight ended when one of the combatants was unable to continue. Gloves were not used. Also note that “New Eloise” that Hazlitt mentions at the end of the essay as the reading matter of one of the Fancy, is the novel Julie or the New Eloise by Jean-Jacques Rousseau.
Norman Mailer in his 1975 book, The Fight, about the 1974 championship bout between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman in Zaire, structurally mimicked Hazlitt’s essay, clearly as an act of homage.
Answer:
William Hazlitt (10 April 1778 – 18 September 1830) was an English essayist, drama and literary critic, painter, social commentator, and philosopher. He is now considered one of the greatest critics and essayists in the history of the English language,[1][2] placed in the company of Samuel Johnson and George Orwell.[3][4] He is also acknowledged as the finest art critic of his age.[5] Despite his high standing among historians of literature and art, his work is currently little read and mostly out of print.The Fight” is, arguably, his most famous essay; certainly it is one of the most famous pieces of writing not only about boxing, but about any sport. The fight described in the essay took place on Hungerford Common on December 11, 1821 between Bill Neate, a Hungerford butcher, and Tom Hickman, the “Gaslight” Man. It must be remembered that prizefighting, though tremendously popular in Regency England, was illegal at this time, so the location of fights was always something of a mystery, a rumor, a tip, or some sort of “inside dope,” for the pilgrims journeying to see them. Twenty-two thousand people attended this particular match (a crowd the size of which ought not to have eluded the attention of the police). This was Hazlitt’s first prizefight, yet he speaks like a seasoned spectator and gives the reader an insider view of the world of the Fancy, the habitués, aficionados, denizens, and patrons of the world of prizefighting. His description of the actual bout is as good as anything Pierce Egan, the premiere boxing journalist of the day, could have written. Note that under the rules of prizefighting at that time wrestling, hair pulling, butting, tripping, and holding were all legal tactics. A round ended when one of the combatants was knocked down or fell down. Each fighter then returned to his corner and given 30 seconds to “come to scratch,” a line drawn in the middle of the ring, to signify they were willing and able to continue the match. A fight ended when one of the combatants was unable to continue. Gloves were not used. Also note that “New Eloise” that Hazlitt mentions at the end of the essay as the reading matter of one of the Fancy, is the novel Julie or the New Eloise by Jean-Jacques Rousseau.
Norman Mailer in his 1975 book, The Fight, about the 1974 championship bout between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman in Zaire, structurally mimicked Hazlitt’s essay, clearly as an act of homage.