Charles Wentworth Dilke (1789–1864) was an English liberal critic and writer on literature.

Professional life

He served for many years in the Navy Pay-Office, on retiring from which in 1830 he devoted himself to literary pursuits.

Literary life

His liberal political views and literary interests brought him into contact with

Leigh Hunt James Henry Leigh Hunt (19 October 178428 August 1859), best known as Leigh Hunt, was an English critic, essayist and poet. Hunt co-founded '' The Examiner'', a leading intellectual journal expounding radical principles. He was the centre ...

, the editor of '' The Examiner''. He had in 1814–16 made a continuation of

Robert Dodsley Robert Dodsley (13 February 1703 – 23 September 1764) was an English bookseller, publisher, poet, playwright, and miscellaneous writer. Life Dodsley was born near Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, where his father was master of the free school. He ...

's '' Collection of English Plays'', and in 1829 he became part proprietor and editor of '' Athenaeum'' magazine, the influence of which he greatly extended. In 1846 he resigned the editorship, and assumed that of the '' Daily News'', but contributed to ''Athenaeum'' papers on

Alexander Pope Alexander Pope (21 May 1688 O.S. – 30 May 1744) was an English poet, translator, and satirist of the Enlightenment era who is considered one of the most prominent English poets of the early 18th century. An exponent of Augustan literature, ...

Edmund Burke Edmund Burke (; 12 January NS.html"_;"title="New_Style.html"_;"title="/nowiki>New_Style">NS">New_Style.html"_;"title="/nowiki>New_Style">NS/nowiki>_1729_–_9_July_1797)_was_an_NS.html"_;"title="New_Style.html"_;"title="/nowiki>New_Style">N ...

, Junius, and others. His grandson, Sir Charles Dilke, published these writings in 1875 under the title, '' Papers of a Critic''. Thanks to his grandson, Dilke is also acknowledged as the author of ', published anonymously in 1821, which exercised an important influence on

Marx Karl Heinrich Marx (; 5 May 1818 – 14 March 1883) was a German philosopher, economist, historian, sociologist, political theorist, journalist, critic of political economy, and socialist revolutionary. His best-known titles are the 1848 ...

Wentworth Place

Around October 1816, Charles Wentworth Dilke and his friend

Charles Armitage Brown Charles Armitage Brown (14 April 1787 – 5 June 1842) was a close friend of the poet John Keats, as well as a friend of artist Joseph Severn, Leigh Hunt, Thomas Jefferson Hogg, Walter Savage Landor and Edward John Trelawny. He was the fat ...

moved into a pair of semi-detached houses later called

Wentworth Place Wentworth may refer to: People * Wentworth (surname) * Judith Blunt-Lytton, 16th Baroness Wentworth (1873–1957), Lady Wentworth, notable Arabian horse breeder * S. Wentworth Horton (1885–1960), New York state senator * Wentworth Miller (born ...

Hampstead Hampstead () is an area in London, which lies northwest of Charing Cross, and extends from the A5 road (Roman Watling Street) to Hampstead Heath, a large, hilly expanse of parkland. The area forms the northwest part of the London Borough of ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a major s ...

. The poet

John Keats John Keats (31 October 1795 – 23 February 1821) was an English poet of the second generation of Romantic poets, with Lord Byron and Percy Bysshe Shelley. His poems had been in publication for less than four years when he died of tuberculos ...

lived with Charles Brown around 1818–20 and was well known to Charles Dilke. In 1822 Charles Brown moved to Italy, selling his share of the property to Charles Dilke. Today

is known as

Keats House Keats House is a writer's house museum in what was once the home of the Romantic poet John Keats. It is in Keats Grove, Hampstead, toward the edge of inner north London. Maps before about 1915 show the road with one of its earlier names, John ...

and is a museum to

Personal life

Dilke married Maria Walker (1790–1850), daughter of an official in the East India Company, on 10 October 1806. They had one child, (Charles) Wentworth Dilke (1810–1869). After her death and that of his daughter-in-law in 1853, he devoted increasing time to the upbringing of his grandson and namesake, the future cabinet minister and the 2nd Baronet.Jenkins 1996 p17

Bibliography

*Garrett, William, ''Charles Wentworth Dilke''. Boston, Twayne, 1982. *Garrett, William, '' Hazlitt's Debt to C.W. Dilke''. In: ''The Keats-Shelley Memorial Bulletin'', No. XV, 1964, pp. 37–42. *Garrett, William, ''Two Dilke Letters''. In: ''The Keats-Shelley Memorial Bulletin'', No. XXVII, 1976, pp. 1–9.

References

Notes

External links

;Biographical material
Keats House, Hampstead
Dilke's former home, now a museum to Keats * ;Works
''Old Plays; being a continuation of Dodsley's Collection, Vol. 1''
London, 1816, at th
Internet Archive
Accessed 28 March 2012
''Old Plays; being a continuation of Dodsley's Collection, Vol. 2''
London, 1816, at th
Internet Archive
Accessed 28 March 2012
''Old Plays; being a continuation of Dodsley's Collection, Vol. 3''
London, 1816, at th
Internet Archive
Accessed 28 March 2012
''Old Plays; being a continuation of Dodsley's Collection, Vol. 4''
London, 1816, at th
Internet Archive
Accessed 28 March 2012
''Old Plays; being a continuation of Dodsley's Collection, Vol. 5''
London, 1816, at th
Internet Archive
Accessed 28 March 2012
''Old Plays; being a continuation of Dodsley's Collection, Vol. 6''
London, 1816, at th
Internet Archive
Accessed 28 March 2012
''The Papers of a Critic, Vol. I''
Accessed 2011-11-12
''The Papers of a Critic, Vol. II''
Accessed 2011-11-12 ;Criticism
''Charles Wentworth Dilke as a Literary Critic''
unpublished dissertation by William Garrett, University of Florida, June 1958, at th
Internet Archive
Accessed 28 March 2012 {{DEFAULTSORT:Dilke, Charles Wentworth English literary critics English magazine editors 1789 births 1864 deaths Burials at Kensal Green Cemetery