This study argues for Hogg's centrality to British Romanticism, resituating his work in relation to many of his more famous Romantic contemporaries. Hogg creates a unique literary style which, the author argues, is best described as 'kaleidoscopic' in view of its similarities with David Brewster's kaleidoscope, invented in 1816.
"James Hogg and British Romanticism makes an original and significant contribution to the ongoing conversation on how Hogg's works engage with and diverge from the artistic vision and practices of fellow Romantics. ... O'Halloran's pioneering and perceptive study is essential reading for those working on the life and writings of James Hogg and in the fields of Scottish Romanticism, British Romanticism, literary history, and reader response theory." (Holly Faith Nelson, The BARS Review, Issue 49, 2017)