Godwin’s Citations, 1783-2005: Highest Renown at the Pinnacle of Disfavor

Abstract

The reception of writers has long been studied. The emergence of citation analysis makes it possible to be more precise about the intensity, timing, and quality of an author’s impact. We examine Godwin's citations using two sources, one from the outset of his career to 1967, and the other starting in the late nineteenth century. The earlier source makes it possible to investigate the content of the citations, and we divide them crudely into favourable and critical. Godwin’s peak of citation renown occurs later than might have been expected, in 1801, and is mostly negative. When in deep disfavour, at least he was highly visible. Overall, Godwin’s reception was U-shaped, at its lowest in the 1870s. His flame never went out entirely, and has surged again in recent decades.