Four Famous American Writers: Washington Irving, Edgar Allan Poe, James Russell

Cody, Sherwin, 1868-1959Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 3.0

Word count: 242K words
Chapters: 25

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.Four Famous American Writers: Washington Irving, Edgar Allan Poe, James RussellAuthor: Cody, Sherwin, 1868-1959,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Feb 1, 2004

Editor's review

This book uses four American writers as its thread and is suitable as an introduction to American literature and an overview of writers' lives. Sherwin Cody's approach is introductory and evaluative, presenting Washington Irving, Edgar Allan Poe, James Russell Lowell, and other writers within the development of American literature. Its value lies in helping readers build a concise map of writers: to know roughly which era they belong to, what their writing is like, and how they relate to one another. For readers new to American literature who wish to learn about writers' backgrounds before turning to the originals, this book serves as a guide. It should not be expected to offer deep textual analysis but should be treated as an introductory index, turning to representative works for close reading when a writer catches one's interest. The public-domain electronic edition is convenient for searching and excerpting and is also suitable as background material for classes or reading groups.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers new to American literature who need an overview of writers' backgrounds
Literature lovers who wish to learn about writers' lives before reading the originals
Students or teachers needing background material on American literary history
Readers who enjoy concise evaluative writing and convenient searching and excerpting

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting deep textual analysis or contemporary literary theory
Course users needing a complete textbook of American literary history
Readers who only want the four writers' original works and no background introduction

Reading tips

Read the table of contents first and proceed chapter by chapter by writer, focusing on one writer's life and style at a time.
When a writer interests you, immediately find passages from their representative works for comparison.
Use annotations to record the chronological relationships and stylistic differences among the four writers.
For classroom use, treat the book as a background guide and pair it with selected readings for discussion.

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

Does this book include the original works of the four writers?

According to the available information, this book introduces four American writers and is evaluative and background-oriented rather than an anthology. It is best used as introductory material for understanding writers' lives and writing, with the originals sought separately for close reading.

Can I read this book without a foundation in American literature?

Yes. The book's approach is introductory and overview-oriented, suitable as an entry guide. Readers need not first master a complete literary history; they can simply follow the chapters to learn about writers' backgrounds and further read the originals when a work interests them.

Is this book suitable for reading groups?

It is suitable as background material for reading groups. Each session can focus on one writer: read the relevant chapter first, then discuss passages from their representative works. This builds a literary-historical context while avoiding the vagueness of reading commentary without engaging the originals.

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

Cody, Sherwin, 1868-1959 Author · American · 1868–1959

Sherwin Cody (1868–1959) was an American writer and educator, known for his courses in English writing and speaking. Public information about his life is limited, and his influence is mainly reflected in two works held in the collection. One is Four Famous American Writers: Washington Irving, Edgar Allan Poe, James Russell..., which introduces leading American literary figures through biographical and critical sketches, presenting their lives and distinctive writing to general readers. The other is The Art of Writing & Speaking the English Language, a practical guide to language that focuses on expression techniques and training in both written and oral communication. One work popularizes literature, the other teaches language, together reflecting his approach of combining literary appreciation with practical writing instruction. His prose is clear and plain, emphasizing practical applicability, and is suitable for both self-study and classroom use.