Outlook Odes

Thomas William Hodgson CroslandProject Gutenberg · United StatesMar 2023

2.8

Word count: 80K 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.Outlook Odes by T. W. H. CroslandAuthor: Crosland, T. W. H. (Thomas William Hodgson), 1865-1924,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Aug 14, 2011

Editor's review

Outlook Odes is a collection of poems by the English writer T. W. H. Crosland, made available as a free eBook by Project Gutenberg. Crosland was active in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and was known for his satirical pen; this work continues his observation and commentary on social manners and the world at large. The poetic form itself means it is not suited to readers seeking plot-driven momentum, but rather to those willing to savour rhythm, irony and period context in short pieces. As a public-domain eBook, its value lies not only in the text itself but also in the sample it offers of late Victorian to Edwardian English literary taste. The language bears clear marks of its period, and some allusions and usages require a degree of background in English literature. It is suitable as supplementary material for an anthology of English poetry, or for casual dipping into when learning about the tradition of English satirical verse. For readers studying periodical poetry and literary life of the time, it also offers an amusing piece of corroborating evidence.

Who it's for

A good fit for

English-language readers interested in late Victorian to Edwardian English poetry
Literature lovers who enjoy satirical, discursive short poems
Anyone needing public-domain English poetry material for teaching or anthology editing
Readers willing to browse English verse in fragments on an e-reader

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting a continuous narrative or novelistic plot
Beginners whose English is not yet up to late nineteenth-century literary prose
Researchers hoping for detailed notes and a scholarly introduction

Reading tips

Skim the table of contents first and jump to poems whose titles or themes appeal; no need to read from start to finish in order.
Mark unfamiliar allusions or old-fashioned expressions as you go, then look them up after finishing a poem, to avoid breaking the rhythm.
Read alongside other English satirical poets of the same period to appreciate the particular character of Crosland's tone.
Limit each session to two or three poems, leaving time to savour the irony and metre.

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 poetry?

It is a poetry collection titled Outlook Odes, classified under English literature as poetry, not a novel or prose narrative. Adjust your expectations accordingly and focus on line rhythm, diction and argument rather than characters and plot.

Can I understand it without notes?

With good English reading ability you can grasp the general sense, but the book contains late nineteenth-century vocabulary and likely topical commentary, so some passages require a dictionary or background material. Treat it as a text to read slowly and check, not light entertainment.

Where can I get the electronic edition?

The book is published by Project Gutenberg as a free public-domain eBook and can be found on the Project Gutenberg website by title or author. The release information for the electronic edition is dated 2011; check the formats offered on the actual page.

Comments

Find this book

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

Thomas William Hodgson Crosland Author · British · 1865–1924

Thomas William Hodgson Crosland (1865–1924) was a British writer, poet and journalist, born in Leeds. He wrote reviews and essays for London periodicals such as The Outlook and The Academy, in a witty and often satirical style. His works cover a wide range of subjects: light essays and a children's alphabet book, as in The Old Man's Bag and Little People: An Alphabet, as well as satires on national character such as The Egregious English, The Unspeakable Scot, The Wild Irishman and The Abounding American; he also published Outlook Odes and The Motor Car Dumpy Book. Eight of his works are held in this collection, usually classified under inspirational and personal growth. Public information on his early education and professional career is limited. He was on close terms with Lord Alfred Douglas, a friend of Oscar Wilde.