English Literature - Its History and Its Significance for the Life of the English-Speaking World

by William J. Long

Read English Literature - Its History and Its Significance for the Life of the English-Speaking World book online free and download in PDF, Kindle and ePub formats.

Copyright Status: Manuscript of this book is available in public domain and copyright already expired.

This book, which presents the whole splendid history of English literature from Anglo-Saxon times to the close of the Victorian Era, has three specific aims. The first is to create or to encourage in every student the desire to read the best books, and to know literature itself rather than what has been written about literature.

The second is to interpret literature both personally and historically, that is, to show how a great book generally reflects not only the author's life and thought but also the spirit of the age and the ideals of the nation's history. The third aim is to show, by a study of each successive period, how our literature has steadily developed from its first simple songs and stories to its present complexity in prose and poetry.