Abstract
The objective of this first chapter will be to discuss the historical and biographical context within which Francis Jeffrey lived and worked. It would be impossible to try to understand the critical theory and practice of Francis Jeffrey without understanding the circumstances of the founding of the Edinburgh Review and the men who were associated with Jeffrey when the publication began. For this reason attention must also be given to the political picture at the time in Edinburgh. Something must be said too about the cultural and scholastic climate of the period and the place, and Scotch history and mores must be adverted to, at least in passing. Finally the man himself must be examined, both as an individual and as a critic in historical perspective.