People
Books let us into their souls and lay open to us the secrets of our own.
— William Hazlitt ‧ "The Sick Chamber," The New Monthly Magazine (August 1830)
Behind the line May contain spoilers.
Our reading
An editorial interpretation.
Hazlitt reflects on reading as an intimate exchange, suggesting that books reveal the inner lives of their authors while also helping readers understand hidden parts of themselves. He treats literature as a mutual unveiling, where absorbing another mind's thoughts illuminates one's own private depths.
Context reviewed