NOTES AND REFERENCES. 1. History. For general history of the time, to the accession of Queen Victoria, see Fyffe's "History of Modern Europe," 3 vols. For England, Bright's History of (vol. iv. comes down to 1880). For Victorian Age consult also McCarthy's "History of Our Own Times," 2 vols., and McCarthy's "England Under Gladstone"; "The Reign of Queen Victoria," edited by T. H. Ward (London: Smith, Elder & Co.), 2 vols. For general historical outline, Fisher's "Outlines of Universal History," or Myer's "Medieval and Modern History," may be used. 2. Literary history and criticism.-For the general literary movements of the time, Dowden's "Studies in Literature," and Dowden's "Transcripts and Studies," will be found especially helpful. Shairp's "Poetic Interpretation of Nature" includes careful study of the increase of feeling for nature in English eighteenth century poetry; on this see also Stopford Brooke's "Theology in the English Poets." Stedman's "Victorian Poets" is an important work on this period. Mrs. Oliphant's "Literary History of England in the End of the Eighteenth and Beginning of the Nineteenth Centuries" is rather a series of short biographical and critical studies than a history of the literary period of which it treats. De Quincey has many essays on the great authors of his time, and Bagehot's "Literary Studies" (Longmans), 2 vols., contains essays on Keats, Shelley, Scott's novels, etc. 3. Biography and criticism of special authors.—a. Burns. Carlyle's" Essay on Burns"; Shairp's "Aspects of Poetry," p. 179; Shairp's "Life of Burns," English Men of Letters Series. Longfellow's and Whittier's poems on Burns may be read with class. b. Wordsworth.-Knight's Life of (Macmillan), 2 vols., is the most complete. Myer's "Wordsworth," English Men of Letters Series, is extremely good; see also Lee's "Dorothy Wordsworth," Johnson's "Three Americans and Three Englishmen," Hutton's "Essays in Literary Criticism." Leslie Stephen's essay on the "Ethics of Wordsworth," in Hours in a Library, third series, is a masterly presentation of Wordsworth's teaching. Matthew Arnold's introduction to his "Selections from Wordsworth," and J. R. Lowell's essays on Wordsworth in "Among My Books," "My Study Windows," and "Democracy and Other Addresses," are of great value. c. Coleridge.-Cottle's "Reminiscences of Coleridge and Southey" is written from the standpoint of personal intimacy. Traill's "Coleridge," English Men of Letters Series, and Caine's "Coleridge," Great Writers Series, are good lives. Johnson's "Three Americans and Three Englishmen " and Lowell's "Democracy and Other Addresses." Brandt's "Samuel Taylor Coleridge and the Romantic School" (London: Murray) may also be consulted. d. Scott.-Lockhart's "Life of Scott," 3 vols., and "Scott's Journal" are the best authorities; the short lives of Scott are unsatisfactory. Carlyle's "Essay on Scott" may be read as much for the light it throws on Carlyle's limitations as for its view of Scott, which in places is open to serious criticism. See also Oliphant's "Literary History of England," supra, and Shairp's "Aspects of Poetry," pp. 133, 394. e. Lamb.-Talford's "Final Memorials of Charles Lamb "; Ainger's "Lamb," in English Men of Letters Series; "Letters of Charles Lamb," edited by Ainger (Armstrong), 2 vols. f. Carlyle.-Bayne's "Lessons from My Masters"; A. H. Japp's "Three Great Teachers of Our Own Time "; Masson's "Carlyle, Personally and in His Writings "; Garnett's Life of, in Great Writers Series, and Nichol's Life, in English Men of Letters Series. For more extended study, the Carlyle and Emerson correspondence, Carlyle's "Reminiscences," and Froude's "Life of Carlyle," 4 vols. g. Macaulay.-Trevelyan's Life of, 2 vols.; Minto's " Manual of English Prose "; Matthew Arnold's "Mixed Essays." h. Byron.-Nichol's "Byron," in English Men of Letters Series; Moore's "Life of Byron," 2 vols. Swinburne's essay on Wordsworth and Byron in his "Miscellanies" is brilliant and interesting. See also Matthew Arnold's introduction to his "Selections from Byron." 66 i. Shelley.-Dowden's "Life of Shelley," 2 vols., is the standard work on the subject. Shelley's life has been written for the Great Writers Series by William Sharp, and for the English Men of Letters Series by J. A. Symonds. Essays on the Prometheus Unbound of Shelley," by Vida D. Scudder in Atlantic Monthly for July, August, and September, 1892, are interesting and suggestive. j. Keats.-Colvin's "Keats," English Men of Letters Series; Rossetti's" Keats," Great Writers Series; "Letters of John Keats," edited by Sidney Colvin; Lowell's essay on Keats in "Among My Books." k. Tennyson.-No standard biography of Tennyson has yet appeared (1892).* Tennyson selected his son Hallam for his *"Alfred, Lord Tennyson. A Study of his Life and Work," by A. Waugh, an admirable book, has appeared since the above was written. biographer, so that an authoritative life is expected shortly. Meanwhile something can be learned on the subject from " In Tennyson Land," by J. Cumming Walters; "Alfred Tennyson," by H. J. Jennings; Allibone's "Dictionary of Authors," vol. iii., title "Tennyson"; and Howitt's "Haunts and Homes of the British Poets." See also Phillip's "Manual of English Literature," vol. ii. Articles on Tennyson, reviews of his works, etc, may be found by consulting Poole's "Index of Magazine Literature." (This Index will likewise be found of great help in the study of the other recent writers.) Articles on Tennyson will be found in Dowden's "Studies in Literature," Japp's "Three Great Teachers," Bayne's "Lessons from My Masters." 1. Browning.-Sharp's "Life of Browning," Great Writers Series, is the best that has yet appeared. Mrs. Orr's Life (2 vols.) is longer and contains much information not to be found elsewhere; it is, however, unsatisfactory in its criticism of Browning's work, and unreliable in its statements as to his religious belief. Dowden's "Studies in Literature" contains one of the best and most compact statements of the central motive of Browning's poetry. Among the many "Introductions" to Browning, Alexander's "Introduction to the Poetry of Robert Browning," and Symond's "Introduction to the Study of Browning," may be mentioned. 66 66 Ivàn As Browning is a difficult author at the first approach, the following poems, to be read in the order here given, are sug gested as one convenient mode of access: 1. Love poems : Evelyn Hope"; "By the Fireside"; "One Word More"; "The Last Ride Together"; "Love Among the Ruins.' 2. Narrative: "Martin Relph"; "Muléykeh"; Ivanovitch"; "The Flight of the Duchess"; "Clive." 3. Art poems: My Last Duchess "; " Andrea del Sarta"; "Fra Lippo Lippi "; " Pictor Ignotus "; " A Toccata of Galluppi's "; "Master Hugues of Saxe-Gotha "; " Abt Vogler." 4. Dramas: "Luria"; "The Blot in the 'Scutcheon"; "Paracelsus." 5. Immortality and Religion: "Rabbi ben Ezra "; "Epistle of Karshish "; "Cleon "; " Prospice"; "Saul "; " A Death in the Desert"; "Christmas Eve" and "Easter Day"; "Rephan." 6. Longer poems: "The Ring and the Book." |