
Literary Beatdowns: Or, Excerpts from Smollett’s ‘Critical Review’ - pepys
http://www.themillions.com/2016/07/literary-beatdowns-or.html
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mcguire
I rather wish there were more examples of reviews of works that are more
familiar to modern readers; other than William Wordsworth’s “The Excursion”,
which I haven't read, all of the works mentioned are completely unknown to me.

I'll take Samuel Clemens on James Fennimore Cooper anyday.
([http://www.gutenberg.org/files/3172/3172-h/3172-h.htm](http://www.gutenberg.org/files/3172/3172-h/3172-h.htm))

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erdevs
If accurate, the description of British moral culture at this time sounds
abhorrent. I wonder when and how it evolved to be more compassionate toward
the less fortunate.

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kchoudhu
I'm not sure it did.

Major staples of British television nowadays appear to be eviction drama and
lionizing debt collectors. My wife calls the genre "poverty porn" \-- and I
don't think people are watching these shows to learn more about the dire
straits of their fellow citizens.

