And Even Now

Beerbohm, Max, Sir, 1872-1956Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

4.1

Word count: 356K words
Chapters: 36

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.And Even Now by Sir Max BeerbohmAuthor: Beerbohm, Max, Sir, 1872-1956,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Nov 1, 1999

Editor's review

"And Even Now" is a collection of essays by Max Beerbohm, witty in style, restrained yet rich in irony, and a quintessential display of his taste and sense of measure as an essayist. Most pieces are observations on people, occasions, and writing itself, seeking no grand conclusions but revealing judgment through detail and tone. Beerbohm's English is polished, his syntax unhurried, and he deftly employs mild exaggeration and self-deprecation, so the reading feels like pleasant conversation while the author's measure is always felt. Its appeal lies not in the quantity of information but in the texture of the prose itself and its gentle, civilized skepticism. It suits fragmented reading on a commute or before sleep, one or two pieces at a time, with no need to hurry; readers interested in the English essay tradition may read it alongside contemporary essays to better appreciate its stylistic position.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who enjoy the English essay and satirical style
Language learners who want to sharpen their feel for English through short essays
Readers interested in the literary tastes of early twentieth-century England
Readers who prefer fragmented reading, one short piece at a time

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting a continuous plot or novelistic narrative
Readers seeking systematic argument or a clear framework of knowledge
Readers impatient with subtle irony and an unhurried style

Reading tips

Read one or two pieces in sequence, pausing after each to savor the tone and wording, without chasing progress.
Copy out striking sentences and write brief imitations of their structure to help grasp the rhythm of English prose.
After finishing, choose two or three favorite pieces to reread and compare how Beerbohm's tone shifts across different subjects.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book a novel or essays?

"And Even Now" is a collection of essays, not a novel. The pieces are largely the author's observations and reflections on people, occasions, and the subject of writing; they are relatively independent of one another and can be read separately, without relying on continuity of plot.

Is the English original difficult to read?

Beerbohm's English has unhurried syntax and careful diction, with the literary prose style of the early twentieth century and many long sentences. Readers with a college-level reading ability in English can grasp the general sense; individual allusions and word choices can be looked up as needed, without parsing every word.

Is it suitable as a reference for English writing?

It is suitable as a reference for experiencing the tone and syntax of English prose, but should not be copied as a writing template. Its value lies in demonstrating how to express judgment in a restrained, subtle way; readers can learn from it about controlling rhythm and measuring one's wording.

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About the author

Beerbohm, Max, Sir, 1872-1956 Author

Sir Max Beerbohm (1872-1956) was an English essayist, satirist and caricaturist, known for his witty, polished prose and gentle mockery. Ten of his works are included here, spanning fiction, essays and short stories. His representative works include Zuleika Dobson Or, An Oxford Love Story, a satire of love set in Oxford; A Christmas Garland, which parodies the styles of various contemporary writers; Seven Men and Enoch Soames: A Memory of the Eighteen-Nineties, which use invented characters to tease the literary world and the spirit of the age. His essay collection And Even Now and The Happy Hypocrite: A Fairy Tale for Tired Men likewise display his elegant, understated humour. Public information about the details of his life is limited, so no conjecture is offered here.