May Carols

Aubrey Thomas de VereProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.3

Word count: 83K words
Chapters: 9

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.May Carols by Aubrey De VereAuthor: De Vere, Aubrey, 1814-1902,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Oct 16, 2012

Editor's review

May Carols is a collection of religious lyric poetry by the Victorian English poet Aubrey de Vere, centred on the Virgin Mary and the liturgical seasons of the Church. Framed around the month of May, it interweaves devotional reflection with the turning of the natural seasons. De Vere was a Catholic poet shaped by the Oxford Movement, and his verse, heir to the Romantic aftermath, is careful in sound and clean in imagery, restrained yet warm in feeling. This Project Gutenberg edition is a public-domain text, freely available in the original language. For readers studying Victorian religious poetry, the literary currents of the Oxford Movement, or the English lyric tradition on Marian themes, this collection offers a less mainstream but representative sample. It need not be read straight through; reading selectively by season or theme reveals its qualities better, and comparison with contemporaries such as Newman and Hopkins brings out both its place and its limits.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Scholars and students of Victorian religious poetry and Oxford Movement literature
Lovers of English poetry interested in Marian themes and liturgical verse
Readers seeking free public-domain English poetry in the original
Self-learners with some grounding in English poetry who are willing to read slowly and closely

Not a good fit for

Readers who expect a Chinese translation or bilingual annotated edition and are unused to reading English originals
Beginners hoping for a systematic history of poetry or detailed background notes
General readers who prefer strongly narrative or plot-driven literature

Reading tips

Read in the order of the May season, one or two poems a day, letting the seasonal mood sharpen the sense of time in the poems
Read through once to grasp the overall structure, then choose poems with concentrated imagery or striking sound for repeated reading
Compare with contemporary religious poets such as Newman and Hopkins to see differences in theme and style
Keep brief reference material on saints and the liturgical calendar at hand and look up allusions as needed without insisting on understanding everything at once

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 in Chinese or English? What language level is needed?

The original is in English, and Project Gutenberg provides the English electronic edition; there is no official Chinese translation. The diction is Victorian and the syntax compressed, so it suits readers with university-level English and some feel for poetry; religious allusions can be looked up in reference works as they arise.

What are the features of the Project Gutenberg edition?

Project Gutenberg, the earliest project to offer free ebooks, was founded by Michael Hart in 1971. This is its public-domain electronic text, easy to download and search, but it generally includes no modern scholarly notes, introduction, or translation, so readers must supply their own background material.

Can I read this collection without a religious background?

Yes, though understanding will suffer somewhat. The poems centre on the Virgin Mary and the liturgical seasons, and some images and allusions depend on Christian tradition. Learning the basic meaning of the May devotion to Mary and a few major feasts before starting will noticeably improve the experience; readers content to enjoy the sound and natural imagery may also skim past the allusions.

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About the author

Aubrey Thomas de Vere Author · Irish · 1814–1902

Aubrey de Vere (1814–1902) was an Irish poet and literary critic, born at Curragh, County Limerick, and educated at Trinity College Dublin. His poetry draws chiefly on religious themes and Celtic legend, and his representative works include The Legends of Saint Patrick, Legends of the Saxon Saints, and May Carols. His verse is solemn and calm, restrained in language and contemplative in tone, and shows a clear influence from Wordsworth. In both subject matter and manner of expression, he linked religious faith and saintly legend with native Irish tradition, and thus helped to advance the Celtic literary revival. Three of his works are held in this collection. Public information on the details of his life is limited, and existing accounts focus mainly on his writings.