You don't have to be a poet or novelist to become a critic of poetry and novels. At least that is the assumption made by J. Paul Hunter, a University of Virginia professor who is internationally regarded as one of the key scholars of 18th-century British literature.
"I don't claim to be a poet or a novelist," Hunter said by phone from Charlottesville. (He also lives a third of the year in London.) "My talents don't lie in that direction. But I think I'm a good, attentive reader."
Hunter is coming to the University of Utah next week to speak about the 18th-century novel as this year's Gordon B. Hinckley Lecture in British Studies. "In my teaching, my aim is to make my students into the best possible readers. I'm not sure that original-writing skills in poetry and fiction can be taught. But reading can be taught."
Hunter's best known books are "Before Novels: The Cultural Context of 18th Century English Fiction" (1991) and "Henry Fielding and the Chains of Circumstance" (1975).
While agreeing that those are two of his most important works, Hunter also added that he is "more partial" to "Before Novels" and has a strong place in his heart for "The Introduction to Poetry," which he calls a labor of love, and which he updates every three-to-four years.
When Hunter was an undergraduate, he was more interested in contemporary literature. But a curiosity about early fiction took over when he started writing his own books. "I was interested in how Daniel Defoe made what many think of as a children's text about the shipwreck of Robinson Crusoe into a serious, even religious account." Other critics, as well, have come to regard "Robinson Crusoe" as "a grown-up tale of a man's discovery of himself, civilization and God."
He has also long been fascinated with Henry Fielding's 200-year-old classic "Tom Jones," about a man known for being wild and rowdy, but who is also kind, decent, generous and affectionate. In other words, he's a real, believable character.
Hunter plans to talk about the almost 1,000-page "Tom Jones" during his Salt Lake lecture. "It used to be seen as the one or two classic British novels. It has been neglected over the last generation, but it is being read again now, so it seems a good time to look at what makes it a readable novel."
While politics and ideology have been major issues for recent novelists to consider, Hunter sees the pendulum returning to "matters of form, aesthetics and art. The key to a real classic is that it renews itself for each new generation. The good ones, like 'Tom Jones,' just keep coming back"
He is also a devotee of Jane Austen and Charles Dickens. But he was not hesitant to say that the contemporary British novelist, Julian Barnes, is a favorite. "He is never twice the same. I think he is varied enough with broad enough appeal to be seen as a Charles Dickens one day." (Barnes' most recent novel is "Arthur and George," a historical look at "Sherlock Holmes" author Arthur Conan Doyle, who took an interest in the wrongful imprisonment of half-Indian lawyer George Edalji, who was convicted of mutilating farm animals.)
Although British literature has often been seen by critics as superior to American literature, Hunter thinks they have reached a point of equality. "The best American and the best British writers are pretty much on a par today. Besides, novel writing is a global phenomenon now — every writer shares what has been accomplished in other traditions."
But he concedes that "the British always seem to do it first. They have cultivated appreciation for good writing and the love of language for centuries. The British are not afraid of new words and new constructions, as the French have been, so the language has blossomed."
If you go
What: "How to Make a Good 18th Century Novel: The Example of 'Tom Jones"'
Where: Dumke Auditorium of the Utah Museum of Fine Arts, University of Utah
When: Thursday
How much: free
Phone: 581-6168
E-mail: dennis@desnews.com