Henry Mackenzie, The Man of Feeling

Jim Owen (Columbus State University)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.06: English Writing and Culture of the Romantic Period, 1789-1837.
Vol. editors: Daniel Cook (University of Dundee), Daniel Robinson (Widener University)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1771

Places

Scotland (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Novel
Sentimental

Resources

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Published in 1771, Henry Mackenzie’s

The Man of Feeling

quickly became one of the most popular novels of its time. The popularity of Oliver Goldsmith’s

The Vicar of Wakefield

(1766),

The Deserted Village

(1768), and Laurence Sterne’s

A Sentimental Journey

(1768) attests to the fact that readers of the late 1760s were drawn toward texts that played upon their emotions, often by portraying scenes of human suffering alleviated by the good deeds of characters who sympathized with the distresses of others. Mackenzie’s

The Man of Feeling

proved to be perfectly suited to its time and remains a vital text for those interested in the development of the sentimental novel or in the literary trends of the Age of Sensibility.

The Man of Feeling is a loosely plotted series of episodes, most of

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2516 words

Citation: Owen, Jim. "The Man of Feeling". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 21 December 2010 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=10061, accessed 24 April 2024.]

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