Lectures on English Literature, from Chaucer to Tennyson - Henry Reed - Google Böcker

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CONTENTS

INTRODUCTORY NOTICE.....

LECTURE I.-INTRODUCTORY.

PRINCIPLES OF LITERATURE.

Object, to assist and guide students—Necessity of systematic study

-Judicious criticism, True aims and principles of literature-

Choice of books-Its difficulties—Aim of this course of lectures

to remove them-All books not literature-Accurate definition

of literature - Its universality— Izaak Walton --Addison -

Charles Lamb-Lord Bacon-Clarendon-Arnold-Spenser and

Shakspeare-Southey and Wordsworth-Belles lettres not li-

terature-Literature not an easy, patrician pleasure-Its danger

as to practical life-Its influence on character-De Quincey's

definition-Knowledge and power-Influence on female charac-

ter-True position of woman-Tennyson's Princess-Novel-

reading-Taste, an incorrect term-Henry Taylor-Cowper-

Miss Wordsworth—Coleridge's philosophy.........

LECTURE II.

APPLICATION OF LITERARY PRINCIPLES.

Narrow and exclusive lines of reading to be avoided-Catholicity

of taste-Charles Lamb's idea of books-Ruskin-Habits of

reading comprehensive-Ancient Literature-Foreign Lan-

guages–Different eras of letters—English essay-writing-

Macaulay-Southey--Scott and Washington Irving—Archdea-

con Hare-Lord Bacon's Essays—Poetic taste-Influence of

individual pursuits-Friends in Council—Serious and gay books

-English humour—Southey's ballad—Necessity of intellectual

discipline-Disadvantage of courses of reading-Books not

insulated things—Authors who guide-Southey's Doctor-Elia

- Coleridge—Divisions of Prose and Poetry–Henry Taylor's

Notes from Books—Poetry not a mere luxury of the mind-

Arnold's habits of study and taste—The practical and poetical

element of Anglo-Saxon character—The Bible—Mosaic Poetry

-Inadequacy of language-Lockhart's character of Scott-Ar-

nold's character of Scipio_Tragic poetry-Poetry for children

-Robinson Crusoe and the Arabian Nights--Wordsworth's Ode

to Duty-Character of Washington..........

THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE.

Medium of ideas often forgotten-Witchery of English words-

Analysis of good style difficult-The power of words-Our duty

to the English language-Lord Bacon's idea of Latin-Milton-

Hume's expostulation with Gibbon-Daniel's Lament-Exten-

sion of English language-French dominion in America-Lan-

dor's Penn and Peterborough-Duty of protecting and guarding

language-Degeneracy of language and morals—Age of Charles

II.--Language part of character-Arnold's Lectures on Modern

History-Use of disproportionate words--Origin of the English

language in the North-Classical and romantic languages

Saxon element of our language-Its superiority—The Bible

idiom-Structure of sentences—Prepositions at the end of most

vigorous sentences—Composite sentences, and the Latin element

-Alliteration-Grandeur of sentences in old writers—Modern

short sentences—Junius–Macaulay-No peculiar poetic diction

-Doctor Franklin's rules--Shakspeare's matchless words-

Wordsworth's sonnet-Byron-Landor-Coleridge's Christabel

_"The Song in the Mind”-Hood—The Bridge of Sighs....... 85

EARLY ENGLISH LITERATURE.

Early English prose and poetry-Sir John Mandeville-Sir Tho-

mas More's Life of Edward the Fifth-Chaucer's Tales-At-

tempted paraphrases—Chaucer Modernized-Conflict of Nor-

man and Saxon elements-Gower-Reign of Edward the Third-

Continental wars-Petrarch-Boccacio-Froissart-The church

-Wyclif-Arts and Architecture-Statutes in English-Chau-

cer resumed-His humour and pathos-Sense of natural beauty

-The Temple of Fame-Chaucer and Mr. Babbage-The flower

and the leaf-Canterbury Tales--Chaucer's high moral tone-

Wordsworth's stanza-Poet's corner and Chaucer's tomb-The

death of a Language--English minstrelsy-Percy's Reliques

-Sir Walter Scott-Wilson-Christian hymns and chaunts

Conversion of King Edwin-Martial ballads-Lockhart-

Spanish ballads—Ticknor's great work—Edom of Gordon-

Dramatic power of the ballad—The Two Brothers-Contrast of

early and late English poetry....

......... Page 121

LITERATURE OF THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY.

Dawn of letters a false illustration-Intellectual gloom from Ed-

ward III. to Henry VIII.--Chaucer to Spenser-Caxton and

the art of printing-Civil wars-Wyatt and Surrey-Tho son-

net naturalized in English poetry--Blank verse--Henry VIII.

-Edward VI.-Landor's Sonnet-Sternhold and Hopkins-

Bishop Latimer-Goodwin Sands and Tenterden Steeple-

“Bloody Mary”-Sackville—"The Mirror of Magistrates”-

His career -Age of Elizabeth-Contrasts of her life-The

Church as an independent English power-Shakspeare-His

journey to London-Final formation of the English language

-"The well of English undefiled”—The Reformation-Sir

Philip Sydney–The Bishop's Bible-Richard Hooker-Spen-

ser and Shakspeare_Wilson's Criticism — Sir Walter Raleigh

--Shakspeare's Prose..............

LITERATURE OF THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY, WITH INCIDENTAL

SUGGESTIONS ON SUNDAY READING.

Hooker's Ecclesiastical Polity-Progress of English literature-

Sir Walter Raleigh's History of the World—Bacon's Essays,

Milton--Comus-Hymn on the Nativity-Suggestions as to

Sunday reading-Sacred books—Forms of Christian faith-

Evidences of Religion-Butler's Analogy-Charles Lamb's Re-

marks on Stackhouse--History of the Bible—Jeremy Taylor-

Holy Living and Dying-Life of Christ-Pulpit-oratory-Sou-

they's Book of the Church-Thomas Fuller~Wordsworth's

Ecclesiastical Sonnets—Izaak Walton's Lives-Pilgrim's Pro-

gress—The Old Man's Home-George Herbert-Henry Vaughan

-Milton resumed-Paradise Lost-Criticism on it as a purely

sacred poem-Shakspeare's mode of treating sacred subjects-

Spenser—The Faery Queen-John Wesley-Keble's Christian

Year-George Wither--Aubrey De Vere—Trench's Sonnet. Page 184

LITERATURE OF THE SEVENTEENTH AND EIGHTEENTH CENTURIES.

Milton's old age-Donne's Sermons—No great school of poetry

without love of nature-Blank in this respect between Paradise

Lost and Thomson's Seasons_Court of Charles the Second-

Samson Agonistes--Milton's Sonnets—Clarendon's History of

the Rebellion-Pilgrim's Progress-Dryden's Odes—Absalom

and Achitophel—Rhyming tragedies-Age of Qucen Anne-

British Statesmen-Essayists—Tatler-Spectator-Sir Roger

De Coverley—Pope-Lord Bolingbroke-English Infidels—

Johnson's Dictionary-Gray-Collins—Cowper-Goldsmith-

The Vicar of Wakefield—Cowper-Elizabeth Browning...........215

LITERATURE OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY.

Literature of our own times—Influence of political and social re-

lations—The historic relations of literature—The French Revo-

lution, and its effects—Infidelity-Thirty years' Peace-Scien-

tific progress coincident with letters-History-Its altered tone

-Arnold—Prescott-Niebuhr-Gibbon-Hume-Robertson-

Religious element in historical style-Lord Mahon-Macaulay's

History—IIistorical romance-Waverley Novels—The pulpit,

Sydney Smith-Manning—Poetry of the early part of the cen-

tury-Bowles and Rogers-Campbell-Coleridge's Christabel —

Lay of the Last Minstrel-Scott's poetry............

CONTEMPORARY LITERATURE.

Lord Byron-His popularity and its decline-His power of sim-

ple, vigorous language—Childe Harold—The Dying Gladiator

-The Isles of Greece-Contrast of Byron's and Shakspeare's

creations—Miss Barrett-Miss Kemble's sonnet-Byron as a

poet of nature-His antagonism to Divine truth The Dream,

the most faultless of his poems-Don Juan-Shelley-Leigh

Hunt's remarks on-Carlyle — His earnestness --Southey-

His historical works-Thalaba-Wordsworth-His character-

istics—Female authors—Joanna Baillie-Miss Edgeworth-

Mrs. Kemble-Mrs. Norton--Miss Barrett--Cry of the Chil-

dren, &C.........

............., Page 272

TRAGIC AND ELEGIAC POETRY.

Contrast of subjects, serious and gay—Tragic poetry—Illustrated in

history-Death of the first-born-Clarendon's raising the stand-

ard at Nottingham-Moral use of tragic poetry-Allston's cri-

ticism—Elegiac poetry—Its power not mere sentimentalism-

Gray's Elegy, an universal poem-Philip Van Artevelde-Caro-

line Bowles—“Pauper's Death Bed”-Wordsworth's Elegies-

Milton's Lycidas-Adonais—In Memoriam-Shelley's Poem on

Death of Keats-Tennyson-In Memoriam reviewed. ...............309

LITERATURE OF WIT AND HUMOUR.

Subtilty of these emotions-Sydney Smith and Leigh Hunt-

Dullness of jest-books—Hudibras a tedious book-Sydney

Smith's idea of the study of wit-Charles Lamb—Incapacity

for a jest German note on Knickerbocker-Stoicism and Pu-

ritanism-Guesses at Truth-Cheerful literature needed for

thoughtful minds—Recreative power of books—Different modes

of mental relaxation–Napoleon--Shelley--Cowper-Southey's

merriness-Doctor Arnold-Shakspeare and Scott's humour-

The Antiquary-Burke-Barrow's definition of wit-Hobbes-

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