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CONTENTS
INTRUDUCTORY NOTICE..
....Page xv
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 difficultics-Aim of this course of loctures
to remove thom-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......
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 comprehensivo-Ancient Literature, Foreign Lan.
guages-Different eras of letters-English essay-writing-
Macaulay-Southey--Scott and Washington Irving-Archdea:
con Haro-Lord Bacon's Essays-- Poetic taste-Influence of
ix
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 tasto-The practical and poetical
olement 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
60 Duty-Character of Washington..........
........Page 54
LECTURE III.
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-
Ilume's expostulation with Gibbon--Daniel's Lament-Exter,
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 Englisb
language in the North-Classical and romantio languages
Saxon element of our language--Its superiority—The Bible
idiom-Structure of sentences-Propositions 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 poètic 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.
LARLY ENGLISH LITERATURE.
Early English prose and poetry-Sir John Mandeville-Sir Tho-
mas More's Life of Edward the Fifth-Chaucer's Tales-At-
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tewpted paraphrases--Chaucer Modernized-Conflict of Nor-
man and Saxon elements-Gower---Reign of Edward the Third-
Continental warga-Petrarch-Boccacia-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 tono
Wordsworth's stanza-Poet's corner and Chaucer's tomb--The
death of a Language-English pinstrelsy- 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,
rawn of letters a fulse illustration~Intellectual gloom froin Ed-
ward III. to Henry VIII.-Chaucer to Spenser--Caxton and
the art of printing--Civil wars—Wyatt and SurroyThe son-
net naturalized in English poetry-Blank verse—Henry VIII.
--Edward VI.-Landor's Sonnet-Sternhold and Hopkins-
Bishop Latimer-Goodwin Sands and Tenterden Steeplem-
“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.......
156
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-Bocon's Essays-...
Milton--Conius--Hymn on tho 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
Eoclesiastical Sonnets Izaak Walton's Lives-Pilgrim's Pro-
gress---The Old Man's Homo George Herbert-Henry Vaughan
-Milton resumedm-Paradise Lost-Criticism op it as a purely
sacred poem-Shakspeare's mode of treating sacred subjocts-
Spenser-The Faery Quoen-John Wesley-Keble's Christian
Year-George Witherm-Aubrey De Vere-Trench's Sonnet. Page 184
Milton's old age-Donne's Sermons--No great school of poetry
without love of nature-Blank in this respect betwoen Paradiso
Lost and Thomson's Soasons-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 Queen Anne-
British Statesmen-Essayists-Tatler--Spectator-Sir Roger
De Coverley-Pope-Lord Bolingbroko-English Infidols-
Johnson's Dictionary-Gray-Collins--Cowper-Goldsmith
The Vicar of Wakefield--Cowper-Elizabeth Browning......... 215
LECTURE VIII.
LITERATURE OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY.
Literature of our own times--Influence of political and social re-
lations-Tho historic relations of literature- The French Revo-
lution, and its effects. Infidelity--Thirty years' Peace-Scien-
tific progress coincident with letters History—Its altered tono
Arnold Prescott- Niebuhr-Gibbon--Hume-Robertson-
Religious element in historical style-Lord Mahon-Macaulay's
History-Historical romance-Waverley Novels--The pulpit-
Sydney Smith-Manning-Poetry of the early part of the con-
tury-Bowles and Rogers-Campbell-Coleridge's Christabel-
Lay of the Last Minstrel-Scott's poetry......
249
'LECTURE IX.
CONTEMPORARY LITERATURE.
Lord Byron-His popularity and its decline-His power of sim-
ple, vigorous language-Childe Harold-The Dying Gladiator
-The Islos of Greece-Contrast of Byron's and Shakspeare's
creations--Miss Barrett-Miss Kemblo's sonnot-Byron as a
poet of naturo-His antagonism to Divino truth-Tho Dream,
the most faultless of his poemsDon Juan-Shelley--Leigh
Hunt's remarks on-Carlyle - His earnestness Southey-
Ilis historical works-ThalabaWordsworth-His character-
istics--Fernale authors-Joanna Baillie-Miss Edgeworth-
Mrs. Kemble-Mrs. Norton--Miss Barrett--Cry of the Chii-
dren, &C..........
Page 272
LECTURE X.
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 pootry-Its power not mere sentimentalism-
Gray's Elegy, an universal poom-Philip Van Artevelde-Caro-
line Bowles-"Pauper's Death Bed”-Wordsworth’s Elegies--
Milton's Lycidas-Adonais-In Momorian-Shelley's Poem on
Death of Keats-- Tennyson-In Memoriam reviewed. ............... 309
LECTURE XI.
LITERATURE OP WIT AND HUMOUR.
Bubtilty of these emotions-Sydney Smith and Leigh Hunt-
Dullness of jest-books-Hudibras a todious book-Sydney
Smith's idea of the study of wit-Charlos Lamb-Incapacity
for a jest-German note on Knickerbockor-Stoicism and Pu-
ritanisin-Guesses at Truth-Cheerful literature needed for
thoughtful minds—Recreative power of books—Different modes
of mental relaxation–Napoleon-Shelloy-Cowper-Southey's
merriness-Dactor Arnold-Shakspearo and Scott's humour-
The Antiquary-Burkc--Barrow's definition of wit Iobbos
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