author
George Saintsbury
1845–1933
A lively and influential English critic, he helped shape how generations of readers thought about literature, from Chaucer to the Victorian novel. His writing combined deep learning with an energetic, readable style that made literary history feel alive.
15 Audiobooks
A History of Elizabethan Literature
by George Saintsbury
A history of criticism and literary taste in Europe from the earliest texts to the present day. Volume 2 (of 3), From the Renaissance to the decline of eighteenth century orthodoxy
by George Saintsbury
Sir Walter Scott
by George Saintsbury
A history of criticism and literary taste in Europe, from the earliest texts to the present day. Volume 1 (of 3), Classical and mediæval criticism
by George Saintsbury
The Flourishing of Romance and the Rise of Allegory (Periods of European Literature, vol. II)
by George Saintsbury
A Letter Book Selected with an Introduction on the History and Art of Letter-Writing
by George Saintsbury
Historical Manual of English Prosody
by George Saintsbury
Essays in English Literature, 1780-1860
by George Saintsbury
Matthew Arnold
by George Saintsbury
A History of Nineteenth Century Literature (1780-1895)
by George Saintsbury
A Short History of French Literature
by George Saintsbury
A History of the French Novel, Vol. 2 To the Close of the 19th Century
by George Saintsbury
A History of the French Novel, Vol. 1 From the Beginning to 1800
by George Saintsbury
The English Novel
by George Saintsbury
About the author
Born in Southampton on 23 October 1845, he studied at King's College School in London and at Merton College, Oxford. After periods teaching in Guernsey and Scotland, he moved into literary journalism and criticism, building a reputation as one of the best-known English men of letters of his time.
Saintsbury is remembered as a critic, literary historian, editor, and professor whose range was remarkably wide. He wrote on French and English literature, produced histories of criticism and of the novel, and later held the chair of rhetoric and English literature at the University of Edinburgh. His work was valued not just for its authority, but for its vivid, personal style.
He died in Bath on 28 January 1933. Although literary fashions changed, his books remained important for their breadth, enthusiasm, and ability to connect readers with long stretches of literary tradition.