Hartley was a poet, as was his sister, Sara. He was well respected by his peers. Critics have claimed that Hartley "ranks among the foremost sonneteers in our language." However, while Auden considered him important enough to include in his collection of "Poets of the English Language," few have heard of him or his work. It is probably quite possible to receive a PHD in Literature without ever hearing his name.

When Hartley was the age of six, William Wordsworth wrote a poem about him.

O blessed vision! happy child!

Thou art so exquisitely wild

I think of thee with many fears

For what may be thy lot in future years.
William Wordsworth, "To H.C. Six Years Old"

When Hartley grew older, he returned the favor with a poem entitled, 'Wordsworth Unvisited." Wordsworth was a friend of Hartley's father.

Ahhhhh, his father. A poet of such great reknown, almost every college student has been forced to read one of his poems. Either the one about the pleasure-dome, or the one about the albatross. Unfortunately, whenever Hartley wrote a poem, no matter how good it was many people would say,"he's just not as good as his father!" No other poet had to suffer that unfair comparison daily. If you were searching for a comparison from the animal kingdom, ironically, you might choose the albatross.

Applying The Hartley Effect

Whenever you see an artist -- Poet, Novelist, Musician, Sculptist, Photographer, etc. -- who is not getting his due because he is being overshadowed by a family member: This is The Hartley Effect -- named for the poet, Hartley Coleridge.