Sonnets and Canzonets

Amos Bronson AlcottProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.5

Word count: 74K words
Chapters: 8

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.Sonnets and Canzonets by Amos Bronson AlcottAuthor: Alcott, Amos Bronson, 1799-1888,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Jan 24, 2015

Editor's review

This is a collection of sonnets and canzonets by the American Transcendentalist thinker Amos Bronson Alcott, father of Louisa May Alcott, author of Little Women. Alcott was known throughout his life for educational experiments and philosophical essays; his poetry is more private and condensed, suitable for readers who want a side view of the nineteenth-century American Transcendentalist circle. The work is in English, modest in length, and regular in verse form, making it light introductory material for reading English poetry and also suitable for researchers comparing Alcott's thought and literary expression. As a free eBook from Project Gutenberg, it is easy to access but lacks modern annotations and an introduction, so readers need to supplement the background themselves. Overall, it is better suited as documentary or interest reading rather than for readers seeking strong narrative or modern poetic craft.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in nineteenth-century American Transcendentalist literature
Readers wanting to understand the Alcott family and the background of Little Women
Learners hoping to practice reading English poetry with short poems
Documentary enthusiasts collecting public-domain poetry collections from Gutenberg

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting plot-driven narrative or modern poetic technique
Beginner English readers needing detailed annotations and introductions
General readers lacking patience for classical metrical poetry

Reading tips

Read the canzonets first, then return to the sonnets to appreciate the rhythmic differences between the two forms
Read alongside background materials on Alcott or Transcendentalism to lower the threshold of understanding
Two or three poems a day is enough; there is no need to rush through the whole book
Mark unfamiliar allusions first, and look them up together after finishing a whole group

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 suitable for readers with zero foundation in English poetry?

Not very. The book has no modern annotations or translations, and sonnets follow fixed metrical patterns, so readers with zero foundation may get stuck on word meanings and syntax. It is advisable to read an annotated anthology of English poetry first, then return to this book.

What is the author's relationship to Little Women?

The author, Amos Bronson Alcott, was the father of Louisa May Alcott, author of Little Women, and an active figure in the American Transcendentalist circle. Reading his poems helps understand the intellectual atmosphere of this family.

Is this a complete poetry collection or a selection?

The materials show that this is a Project Gutenberg eBook of Alcott's Sonnets and Canzonets, a public-domain text. The specific poems and arrangement should be based on the actual content of that eBook; readers may check the table of contents before reading.

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About the author

Amos Bronson Alcott Author · American · 1799–1888

Amos Bronson Alcott (1799–1888) was an American teacher, writer, philosopher, and transcendentalist reformer. In Boston he founded the Temple School, where he promoted conversational teaching, and he advocated abolition, women's rights, and vegetarianism; he also founded the utopian community Fruitlands, which lasted only seven months. He was the father of Louisa May Alcott, author of Little Women. His works include Tablets, Concord Days, and Sonnets and Canzonets, which largely concern educational ideas, philosophical reflection, and observations of life, and show a transcendentalist tone. This collection holds three of his works; common classification information is currently unavailable, and public sources are limited.