“He sang the Song of the Shirt.” This inscription on Thomas Hood’s tombstone commemorates the humanitarian utterance by which this gifted poet, wit, and journalist is best remembered, apart from his agile puns. However, Thomas Hood (first published in 1963) shows the diversity of Hood’s talents and the influence he exercised in many directions on the writing of his century. The courage and cheerfulness with which he faced up to a life full of illness and nagging poverty make him one of the most engaging and lovable personalities in English poetry. His beloved wife, Jane, too, emerges from this skilful study as an admirable character, compounded of charm, loyalty and common sense.
Dr Reid has combined an account of Hood’s life that draws generously upon hitherto unpublished documents with a fresh examination of Hood’s works. His friendship with Lamb and Dickens, his collaboration with the ebullient J.H. Reynolds, friend of Keats, his work on the London Magazine and other periodicals, his creation of the Comic Annuals, his exile in Germany and Belgium—these make up much of the story. Dr Reid makes out a case for Hood as one of the most significant writers of the early Victorian age. And at the same time, he gives a fascinating picture of literary life in the neglected part of the nineteenth century.