Auteur: W. H. Mallock

William Hurrell Mallock (1849–1923) was an influential English novelist and critic known for his sociological and political writings, which made significant contributions to the intellectual landscape of the late Victorian era. Mallock »s work reflects a strong individualist and conservative perspective, with his books often engaging in critiques of socialism, utilitarianism, and the threat he perceived they posed to the established social order and the aristocracy. « Aristocracy & Evolution: A Study of the Rights, the Origin, and the Social Functions of the Wealthier Classes » is one such publication that encapsulates his views. In it, Mallock offers a controversially robust defense of hereditary privilege, challenging emerging social Darwinist interpretations of evolution to assert the inherent value and necessity of the aristocratic class in cultural and economic advancement. This treatise showcases Mallock »s eloquent prose and his talent for marrying philosophical inquiry with social commentary. Not merely confined to sociology, Mallock »s literary repertory includes « The New Republic » and « The Old Order Changes », indicating his versatility and breadth as a man of letters. His style, characterized by incisive wit and a penchant for satire, often gave malice to his polemic yet rendered his arguments all the more compelling for the Victorian readership, who grappled with the era »s rapid societal transformations.