The Poetical Works of Oliver Wendell Holmes — Volume 12

Holmes, Oliver Wendell, 1809-1894Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 3.4

Word count: 41K words
Chapters: 5

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.The Poetical Works of Oliver Wendell Holmes — Volume 12 by Oliver Wendell HolmesAuthor: Holmes, Oliver Wendell, 1809-1894,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Sep 30, 2004

Editor's review

This volume, the twelfth in the collected poetical works of Holmes, presents a selection of his poems and is suited to readers who wish to study his work volume by volume. A nineteenth-century American writer, Holmes is known for elegant diction and careful rhythm, often blending humor with reflection as he explores life, society, and the issues of his time in a light tone. This volume serves as an entry point to his poetry and as practice material for reading English verse. As a public-domain ebook, the text is readily available and suited to fragmented reading and repeated enjoyment. Readers may attend to the character sketches, everyday scenes, and argumentative passages, and to the expressive manner and emotional warmth of nineteenth-century American letters. Those studying American literature or English poetry may use this volume alongside the complete works to understand the relation between a single volume and the whole.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in nineteenth-century American poetry who wish to read volume by volume
English majors seeking supplementary material for poetry reading and language appreciation
Poetry lovers who enjoy elegant meter and a humorous, argumentative style
Teachers and translators who need public-domain English texts for teaching or translation practice

Not a good fit for

General readers who want only Holmes's representative works and prefer not to read volume by volume
Beginners whose English reading is not yet proficient and who need annotations and translations
Researchers expecting a complete collection or systematic research materials

Reading tips

Read the table of contents first, choose shorter poems to begin with, and build a feel for the language before tackling longer ones.
Read each poem twice: first for the general sense and tone, then for rhyme and word choice.
Keep a notebook to record recurring images and argumentative lines, which helps in summarizing style.
Read alongside the complete works to observe differences between the selection in this volume and the overall arrangement.

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

How does this volume differ from the complete works?

This is a separate volume of Holmes's poetry containing only some of his poems; the complete works gather his poetry as a whole. To become familiar with his style, start with a volume; for a comprehensive view, read the complete works and use the volume for comparison.

Can readers with average English read this collection?

Holmes's poetry uses elegant diction and elaborate syntax and involves the social and cultural background of nineteenth-century America, so readers with average English may find it difficult. It is advisable to have good English reading ability or to read with annotated editions or translations.

Is this a print book or an ebook?

According to the information, this book is released by Project Gutenberg as a public-domain ebook in English. Readers can obtain the electronic text through that platform; the specific format and access method are subject to its release page.

What should readers focus on?

Pay attention to the humorous tone, character sketches, and argumentative passages in Holmes's poetry, as well as the arrangement of meter and rhyme. These features reflect both his personal style and the expressive habits of nineteenth-century American writers, and are worth noting while reading.

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

Holmes, Oliver Wendell, 1809-1894 Author

Oliver Wendell Holmes (1809–1894) was an American writer whose 34 works are included in this collection. His representative works include The Autocrat of the Breakfast-Table, The Professor at the Breakfast-Table, and The Poet at the Breakfast-Table, as well as The One Hoss Shay and several collections of poetry. These works show him at home in both prose and verse: he is known for informal essays in the manner of breakfast-table talk, witty and observant, blending discussion with humor; his poems are carefully crafted and lively in rhythm, often carrying domestic humor and reflective notes. He also wrote on Ralph Waldo Emerson, showing his attention to the thinkers of his day. Public information is limited, so biographical details are not developed here; readers may sense his style and influence through the works mentioned above.