Literary Authority An Eighteenth-Century Genealogy

"This is an important and scholarly treatment of a significant puzzle in literary studies. Compelling, polemical, bold, maybe even dangerous, this is a book that all literary critics should read."
-Joseph Hone, Newcastle University "Willan's provocative genealogy shows how prolific were the mutations in literary authority as it migrated across print cultures from the age of Pope to the age of Johnson. An authoritative rethinking of the making of modern literary authority in the eighteenth century."-Joseph Roach, Yale University "This book is an important contribution to the framing of mainstream literary authority and power in the so-called Ages of Pope and Johnson."-Emily C. Friedman, Auburn University "Literary Authority is grounded in both established and recent scholarship; it is densely argued but clearly written and often quotable. It is also thoughtfully organized, so a large argument develops over the course of the book.... Recommended."-J. T. Lynch, CHOICE