Herbs and Apples

Helen Hay WhitneyProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.2

Word count: 48K 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.Herbs and Apples by Helen Hay WhitneyAuthor: Whitney, Helen Hay, 1875-1944,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Aug 6, 2013

Editor's review

Herbs and Apples is a poetry collection by Helen Hay Whitney, a public-domain work in American literature, edited and released by Project Gutenberg. Judging by the title and the author's identity, the collection carries natural imagery and a lyrical quality, making it suitable as an introduction to English poetry or as light reading. Its value lies in the short-poem form, which lends itself to fragmented reading and offers a glimpse of the linguistic sensibilities and emotional expression of an early twentieth-century American woman poet. Since the materials provide no specific details about individual poems or themes, readers should let the text itself be their guide and avoid imposing grand literary-historical expectations. The book works better as quiet bedside reading—a few poems in the morning or before sleep, savoring rhythm and imagery—than as something to read straight through. For readers who need extensive annotations or systematic poetic theory, it may feel slight, but that very slightness makes it well suited to developing an ear for English poetry.

Who it's for

A good fit for

General readers who want to sample English poetry and develop a feel for the language
Readers interested in the work of early twentieth-century American women poets
Readers who need short reading material and enjoy fragmented reading

Not a good fit for

Beginners who need detailed annotations and systematic poetic theory
Readers who prefer long narrative or strongly plotted works
Readers expecting a Chinese translation or a bilingual edition

Reading tips

Read three to five poems a day, aloud, to feel the rhythm and cadence of English poetry.
Jot down favorite images or lines as you go, building your own store of poetic language.
There is no need to read in order; dip in as the mood takes you and keep the collection at hand.
Pair the reading with background material on early twentieth-century American literature to better understand the era's atmosphere.

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 collection suitable for readers with zero background in English poetry?

It can be tried as reading material, but it is not suitable for complete beginners who depend entirely on annotations. The collection is in the original English, with no annotations or translation mentioned; the short-poem form is relatively approachable, but the period language and poetic imagery still require a certain vocabulary. Readers should first have basic English reading ability, then ease in slowly through reading aloud and taking notes.

Is there a definite Chinese translation of this book?

According to the materials, this is an English-language public-domain ebook released by Project Gutenberg, with no Chinese translation mentioned. Readers see the original poetry text; anyone wanting a Chinese version must look for other editions or reference materials, and should not treat this book as a bilingual edition.

Why is it said to suit fragmented reading?

Because it is a poetry collection made up of short poems, each of limited length, readers can take in a few on a commute, before bed, or during a short break, without needing to follow a plot continuously as with a novel. This form lowers the barrier to entry and makes it easy to revisit favorite lines, so the collection can be kept close at hand for reading in snatches.

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About the author

Helen Hay Whitney Author · American · 1875–1944

Helen Hay Whitney (1875–1944) was an American poet and writer, born in New York and the daughter of John Hay, former United States Secretary of State. She published five works, including Herbs and Apples, Gypsy Verses, Sonnets and Songs, Some Verses, and The Rose of Dawn: A Tale of the South Sea. Her poetry often draws on flowers and herbs, travel and reflection, and lyrical themes, with a clear and graceful tone. After marrying into the Whitney family in 1902, she also became known as a noted racehorse breeder and philanthropist, and established the Helen Hay Whitney Foundation. Detailed criticism of her verse and particulars of her life are limited in publicly available sources.