George Saintsbury

Foreword By Mohit K. Ray

A History Of English Criticism, Which Was Originally The English Chapter Of Saintsbury S Monumental Three Volume A History Of Criticism And Literary Taste In Europe (1900-04), Was Published Separately In 1911 As A Revised, Adapted And Updated Edition, Complete In Itself. The Book Is The First Of Its Kind And Is Thus Of Great Historical Importance.The History Of English Criticism, As Saintsbury Sees It, Passes Through Three Distinct Stages: (I) The Initial Stage Of Elizabethan Criticism Tentative, Hesitating And Scattered Trying To Assimilate The Numerous Critical Ideas Scattered Throughout The Classical European Literatures (Ii) The Neo-Classic Period Starting With Dryden And Continuing Beyond The Beginning Of The Nineteenth Century And Then (Iii) The Stage Of Modified Or Modernist Criticism. It Is, However, A Continuous Process With Rise And Fall Of Various Schools, Theories, Movements And Attitudes Etc.The First Chapter Examines The Classical Legacy Which Provides The Relevant Critical Framework Against Which The Development Of English Criticism Must Be Seen. In The Subsequent Chapters Professor Saintsbury Discusses At Length The Contributions Of Elizabethan Critics, Dryden And His Contemporaries, The Eighteenth Century Critics, The English Precursors Of Romanticism, The Romantic Critics And The Critics During The Period From 1860 To 1900. The Conclusion Neatly Sums Up The General Plan Of The Book And The Findings Of Professor Saintsbury, The First Academic Historian Of Universal Criticism.Though Profoundly Luminous And Sharply Insightful The Book Makes A Delightful Reading Mainly Because Of The Vigour Of The Overbearing Character Of Saintsbury Who Always Transmits His Opinions With Gusto And Invites His Readers To Share His Views, His Happiness And Hearty Preferences, His Strong Likes And Dislikes.The Book Is A Must For Any Student Of Literary Criticism.

History Of English Criticism

Professor Of English Literature Of King S College, London Observes Thus: This Is An Extremely Bold And Far-Reaching Attempt At A Comprehensive Theory Of Poetry. There Is Evidence Everywhere Of Extensive Learning And Of Acute And Sensitive Literary Mind. The Author Draws With Equal Ease On Indian Poetics And On English And European Literature, Aesthetics And Philosophy. The Candidate Stands Very Much In The Tradition Of That Manner Of Thinking Which May Be Associated With I.A. Richards, Of Whom He Is No Unworthy Follower.This Is Not An Easy Thesis On Which To Pass Judgment. I Am Impressed And Convinced By The Distinction Of Mind And The Continuity Of Thought. I Believe, It Is Worthy Of The Highest Doctoral Degree, If That Is Now D.Litt. Should Be Described And Therefore Of Publication.

A Short History of English Literature

Charles Harold Herford

Since Its First Publication In February 1897 Herford S The Age Of Wordsworth Has Remained And Continues To Remain A Basic Book On European Romanticism In General And The English Romanticism In Particular. The Second Edition Was Printed In The Same Year A Few Months Later, In November 1897, And The Third Edition (Revised) Was Brought Out In The Year 1899. Since Then The Book Has Been Reprinted Many Times, And That Is A Standing Testimony To The Immense Popularity And Usefulness Of The Book.In The Preface To The First Edition Herford Wrote In December 1895, About A Year Before The Actual Publication Of The Book: The Task Of Presenting This Vast And Complex Literature With Some Semblance Of Order And Unity Has Been No Light One. But The Enormous Popularity Of The Book For Over A Century Is A Glowing Testimony To His Remarkable Success In Performing The Arduous Task He Had Set Upon Himself. His Analysis Of Romanticism, Which Is The Organizing Conception Of This Book Is As Sharp As It Is Illuminating And Offers A Clear Idea Of The Various Phases Of European Romanticism, A Movement That Swept Over Europe From Roughly The Middle Of The Eighteenth Century To The Middle Of The Nineteenth Century. What Deserves Special Mention Is The Fact That All Along Herford Assiduously Maintains The Distinction Between Literary History And Biography.While The Book Is Indispensable For Any Student Of English Literature, The Students Of The History Of Thought And Culture Studies Will Also Find This Luminous Book Delightfully Readable And Interesting.

Foreword By Mohit K. Ray

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