Literary Criticism
Greek Literature
"The Greeks were the most intellectual people of the old world. … The study of Greek literature is therefore a proper element in a libe…
Robert Browning
There is an old anecdote, probably apocryphal, which describes how a feminine admirer wrote to Browning asking him for the meaning of one of…
The Ordeal of Mark Twain
The Ordeal of Mark Twain analyzes the literary progression of Samuel L. Clemens and attributes shortcomings to Clemens' mother and wife. The…
The Cambridge History of English Literature
In the preliminary statement of the aims and objects of this History, communicated to those who were invited to become contributors to it, t…
The Defense of Poesy
Sidney envisions the world as an ideally ordered structure that rewards good and punishes evil, but this order, vitiated by sin, has fallen …
The Raven
Poe’s famous narrative poem and the author’s reflections on its composition. (David Wales)
Fenimore Cooper's Literary Offences
This is Mark Twain's vicious and amusing review of Fenimore Cooper's literary art. It is still read widely in academic circles. Twain's essa…
An Essay on Criticism
An Essay on Criticism is a foundational work of literary criticism by Alexander Pope, blending poetry and philosophical reflection. Written …
Appreciations and Criticisms of the Works of Charles Dickens
“These papers were originally published as prefaces to the separate books of Dickens in one of the most extensive of those cheap libraries o…
Fenimore Cooper's Literary Offences
Fenimore Cooper - author of The Deerslayer, The Last of the Mohicans, etc - has often been praised, but just as often been criticised for hi…
The Supernatural in Modern English Fiction
Scholar of the macabre Dorothy Scarborough provides us with the first comprehensive overview of supernatural fiction in literary history, a …
Bunyan Characters
Bunyan Characters by Alexander Whyte delves into the rich tapestry of characters from John Bunyan's renowned works, particularly focusing on…
Is Shakespeare Dead?
A short, semi-autobiographical work by American humorist Mark Twain. It explores the controversy over the authorship of the Shakespearean li…
From Ritual to Romance
From Ritual to Romance is a 1920 book written by Jessie L. Weston.Weston's book is an examination of the roots of the King Arthur legends an…
Homage to John Dryden
Best known as a poet and playwright, Nobel Laureate T.S. Eliot also wrote many works of literary criticism. In this volume he gives us thr…
Lectures on the Harvard Classics
The Lecture Series on the contents of The Harvard Classics ought to do much to open that collection of literary materials to many ambitious …
A Student's History of American Literature
Engaging history of American Lit from the 1600's up through the late 1890's. The author, who was a professor at Knox College, really put a …
The Quintessence of Ibsenism
George Bernard Shaw, a playwright with a few bones to pick of his own, undertakes a surgical analysis of the social philosophies underlying …
Essays on Paul Bourget
In this engaging collection, Mark Twain offers his sharp wit and keen observations on the works and ideas of French novelist and critic Paul…
The Spirit of American Literature
THE SPIRIT OF AMERICAN LITERATURE is a collection of essays reviewing contemporary authors on the literary scene at the turn of the century …