Books and Reading: Or, What Books Shall I Read and how Shall I Read Them?C. Scribner & Company, 1871 - 378 pages |
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Page 57
... style of a writer should often determine whether we read or neglect him . But what is style and how shall we judge whether it is good or bad ? That depends upon our taste ; i . e . , whether it is healthy or vitiated , whether it is ...
... style of a writer should often determine whether we read or neglect him . But what is style and how shall we judge whether it is good or bad ? That depends upon our taste ; i . e . , whether it is healthy or vitiated , whether it is ...
Page 58
... style in the writers whom they delight to read- as strength without roughness , elegance without affectation , ease without weakness , copiousness without verbosity and courtesy without loss of dignity . We judge of style some- what as ...
... style in the writers whom they delight to read- as strength without roughness , elegance without affectation , ease without weakness , copiousness without verbosity and courtesy without loss of dignity . We judge of style some- what as ...
Page 59
... style may be allowed to color and warm in- tellectual clearness with the hues that express emotion , and to set off these hues by varying contrasts of beauty and shading ; but when style is characterized by mere pomp and glitter , by ...
... style may be allowed to color and warm in- tellectual clearness with the hues that express emotion , and to set off these hues by varying contrasts of beauty and shading ; but when style is characterized by mere pomp and glitter , by ...
Page 60
... style . Awkwardness may be ex- cused and even be accepted as an excellence when it be- tokens sincerity and directness of aim , but vulgarity , af- fectation , vituperation and bullyism , as well as great swelling words of vanity " and ...
... style . Awkwardness may be ex- cused and even be accepted as an excellence when it be- tokens sincerity and directness of aim , but vulgarity , af- fectation , vituperation and bullyism , as well as great swelling words of vanity " and ...
Page 65
... style , and there may be defects in his narrative ; but no man can deny the genius that could at- tempt so great a task , and could execute it so well ; and still less the value and splendor of the work which it has left as its memorial ...
... style , and there may be defects in his narrative ; but no man can deny the genius that could at- tempt so great a task , and could execute it so well ; and still less the value and splendor of the work which it has left as its memorial ...
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Common terms and phrases
admiration ancient attractive biography books and reading called cerning character Christ Christian Coleridge conscience criticism culture delight diction earnest elevated eloquence eminent emotions English language English literature Essays ethical evil exciting F. W. Newman facts faith favorite French Revolution furnish genius George Eliot George Grote give Goethe habits History of England History of Greece human illustrate imagery imagination impressions individual influence inspiration instructive intellectual intelligent interest J. J. Thomas judge judgment language less litera literary lives Matthew Arnold ment Milton mind modern moral nature newspaper novels opinions passions person personages Philosophy poem poet poetic poetry political principles reader reason refined respect Robert Southey rule Scott sense sentiments Shakspeare soul spirit story style sympathy taste Thomas Fowell Buxton thought and feeling tion tory treatises true truth ture verse volumes worth writer written
Popular passages
Page 86 - No traveller returns, puzzles the will, And makes us rather bear those ills we have Than fly to others that we know not of ? Thus conscience does make cowards of us all...
Page 75 - And therefore it was ever thought to have some participation of divineness, because it doth raise and erect the mind, by submitting the shows of things to the desires of the mind ; whereas reason doth buckle and bow the mind unto the nature of things.
Page 83 - Me miserable ! which way shall I fly Infinite wrath, and infinite despair? Which way I fly is Hell; myself am Hell; And, in the lowest deep, a lower deep Still threatening to devour me opens wide, To which the Hell I suffer seems a Heaven.
Page 82 - There is some soul of goodness in things evil, Would men observingly distil it out...
Page 23 - OATS [a grain which in England is generally given to horses, but in Scotland supports the people], — Croker.
Page 86 - To die, to sleep : To sleep : perchance to dream : ay, there's the rub; For in that sleep of death what dreams may come When we have shuffled off this mortal coil, Must give us pause...
Page 22 - I know they are as lively, and as vigorously productive, as those fabulous dragon's teeth : and being sown up and down, may chance to spring up armed men. And yet, on the other hand, unless wariness be used, as good almost kill a man as kill a good book : who kills a man kills a reasonable creature, God's image ; but he who destroys a good book kills reason itself — kills the image of God, as it were, in the eye.
Page 83 - So spake the cherub, and his grave rebuke Severe in youthful beauty, added grace Invincible: abashed the devil stood, And felt how awful goodness is, and saw Virtue in her shape how lovely, saw, and pined His loss; but chiefly to find here observed His lustre visibly impaired; yet seemed 850 Undaunted. If I must contend...
Page 378 - Around me I behold, Where'er these casual eyes are cast, The mighty minds of old: My never-failing friends are they, With whom I converse day by day. With them I take delight in weal And seek relief in woe; And while I understand and feel How much to them I owe, My cheeks have often been bedewed With tears of thoughtful gratitude.
Page 244 - Poetry is the breath and finer spirit of all knowledge ; it is the impassioned expression which is in the countenance of all Science.