Richard Hildreth's literary criticism was written early in his career and over a brief period of time. It had little if any impact upon the theory and practice of his contemporaries, and today it is of interest chiefly to the literary historian. His taste molded by his reading in English authors of the eighteenth century and by classical training in Greek and Roman literature, Hildreth was one of a minor band of critics who persisted in invoking older standards of taste and craftsmanship at a time when romanticism was promising to win the day. A bit of a loner, his criticism constitutes a series of opposing opinions to tendencies that he did not like. There is thus a surface asperity to the criticism which deepened as he increasingly engaged the social issues of his day. His critical opinions were sharply defined. He affirmed universality of taste, the rule...