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TO
My Widowed Sister,
WHO, FOR THE SAKE OF THE LIVING, HAS NOBLY BORNE HER SORROT
FOR THE DEAD,
This Memorial Volume
19 AFFECTIONATELY
INSCRIBED.
W. B. B
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 charao-
ter-True position of woman- -Tennyson's Princess—Novel-
reading-Taste, an incorrect term-Henry Taylor-Cowper
Miss Wordsworth-Coleridge's philosophy........
25
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- Foroign Lan.
guages-Different eras of letters-English essay-writing-
Macaulay-Southey-Scott and Washington Irving-Archdean
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 Odo
to Duty-Character of Washington......... .........Page 54
....................
LECTURE III.
THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE.
Modium of ideas often forgotten-Witchery of English words,
Knalysis 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–Exteu
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
LECTURE IV.
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—Statates 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
LECTURE V.
LITERATURE OF THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY.
Nawn 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-The 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..................
.155
LECTURE VI.
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 Essayg
Milton-Comus-Hymn on the Nativity-Suggestions as to