Ordinarily one approaches the writings of practicing politicians without anticipating any benefit other than that of becoming informed--that is, unless they are the writings of Edmund Burke. Burke is so knowledgeable about political systems and ideas; so much a master of style, diction, and metaphor; and so much a student of human nature that his works merit the designation of literature. Moreover, as William Roscoe wrote to William Petty, Lord Shelburn, in a letter of 7 November 1796: "Mr. Burke is himself so conspicuous a part of his work that it is impossible to avoid him." Burke's persona, speaking across the centuries, still has the ability to engage the reader's mind and emotions. However, the complexity of Burke's thought defies neat categorization. He was a Rockingham Whig; yet some, like the nineteenth-century Thomas Carlyle, have labeled him a Tory; he has been designated "The Father of Conservatism"; yet many see him as a liberal.
