Talk:A Short Biographical Dictionary of English Literature/Howell, James

Both he and his brother, who was for a short time Thomas Howell,Bishop of Bristol, England, were deeply involved in the political life of the reign of Charles 1st;

The interregnum of Oliver Cromwell, and Charles 2nd, was also part of the political life of JH. He somehow managed successfully to combine flattery for Charles 1st, with the same for Oliver Cromwell, and eventually became the Historiographer Royal to Charles 2nd at the beginning of the restoration. The contention of the author that he was undergoing great torment, incarcerated in the Fleet prison for debt, or libel was greatly exaggerated. It was the custom of the day for the gaol governor to rent at high price accommodation outside the prison gates to those who thought they would be sued for large sums. JH was one of these. His writing made him vulnerable to accusations of slander and libel, but nobody would try to sue him if he already had a gaol address. This was the huge irony and double entendre of his writing which made it marvellously enjoyable for his readers, and tremendous potential for those who disliked him to say whatever they wanted to say, about him. Say it they did, and those who do not read between the lines of historiographical critics, and damners, of his works,then and later, miss a great deal; an excellent way to understand better the turbulent history of the 17thC.

If he were in prison already, then his opinions could be entirely discounted!

His last will and testament, which is published at the end of Familiar Letters, to be found in an online book,left his chattels to his nephews and nieces, by name,whose descendants throughout the world are very proud to know of his literary fame as the first writer of the Epistolary novel (Novel of Letters)in the English Language.


 * ''Moved from the page. John Vandenberg (chat) 09:25, 19 April 2008 (UTC)