Biographers Quote by Joseph Addison
“Our Grub-street biographers watch for the death of a great man like so many undertakers on purpose to make a penny of him.”
About This Quote
Source Essay: 18th‑century literary criticism, null
Biographers exploit a great man's death for profit, like undertakers.
In simple terms: Writers profit from famous deaths.
Key Takeaway
Critique sensationalism in biographies.
Themes
mortality
profit
media
legacy
Mood
critical
analytical
Type
ethical
reflective
When to use this quote
- obituaries
- historical documentaries
- celebrity memoirs
Key Concepts
exploitation
celebrity culture
Questions to Reflect On
- Why do audiences gravitate to tragic stories?
- How can writers honor subjects responsibly?
A Different Perspective
Not all biographies are exploitative.
![“If we believe that he [Jesus Christ]really countenanced the follies, the falsehoods, and the charlatanisms, which his biographers [writers of the New Testament]father upon him, and admit the misconstructions, interpolations, and theorizations of the fathers of the early and the fanatics of the…” quote by Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/ba1/thomas-jefferson-43_age_if-we-believe-that-he-jesus-christ-reall_277925.jpg)
