# Charles Lamb — Table-Talk character guide

> Charles Lamb in Table-Talk by William Hazlitt.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Lamb, Mr. Lamb, himself

**First appearance:** 0018-volume-ii-on-going-a-journey

## Snapshot

Hazlitt's essayist friend, celebrated here as the best company indoors and the worst on a journey, a man whose talk belongs strictly to the table.

## Who they are

Lamb appears as the intimate whose conversation Hazlitt rates above any outdoor scenery, a companion so good at table-talk that he spoils prospects and travel alike. The tension is affectionate and comic: friendship itself becomes an intrusion on the solitary pleasures of an inn, where a stranger's ignorance lets Hazlitt forget himself and Lamb's knowledge of his history drags him back. This portrait of talk as a sacred, indoor art sets the tone for the whole collection.

## Relationships

### [William Hazlitt](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/table_talk_se/characters/william_hazlitt)

_friendship_

Charles Lamb was one of Hazlitt's closest friends, a fellow essayist and companion in London's literary and social circles.

### [William Hazlitt](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/table_talk_se/characters/william_hazlitt)

_friendship_

Charles Lamb was one of Hazlitt's closest friends, a fellow essayist and companion in London's literary and social circles.

## In the story

### [On Going a Journey](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/table_talk_se/chapters/volume-ii-on-going-a-journey)

Referenced as someone who prefers a different approach to travel and conversation.

### [On Great and Little Things](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/table_talk_se/chapters/volume-ii-on-great-and-little-things)

Quoted for his remark about an old acquaintance who wanted to be a tailor but had not spirit.

### [On Familiar Style](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/table_talk_se/chapters/volume-ii-on-familiar-style)

Praised as the only imitator of old English style that Hazlitt can read with pleasure; his essay on Mrs. Battle's Opinions on Whist is highlighted.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/table_talk_se/characters/charles_lamb
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/table_talk_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/table_talk_se/characters