Initial Studies in American Letters

Henry Augustin BeersProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.2

Word count: 541K words
Chapters: 55

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.Initial Studies in American Letters by Henry A. BeersAuthor: Beers, Henry A. (Henry Augustin), 1847-1926,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: May 18, 2005

Editor's review

Henry A. Beers was an American literary scholar and critic. Under the title "Initial Studies," this book presents his survey and commentary on the early development of American literature, a work combining literary history with criticism. Its value lies not in offering an exhaustive general history but in outlining, through the eyes of a late nineteenth-century scholar, the key issues in the formation of the American letters and literary tradition, in prose that carries the texture of criticism from that era. For today's readers, it serves both as material for understanding early paradigms of American literary study and as a reference point for reading classic authors. The Project Gutenberg electronic edition makes names of authors and works easy to search, suitable for classroom support, verifying material for papers, or building a framework before a systematic reading of American literature. Note that its views and selections bear the limitations of their time and it should not be used as the sole authoritative general history.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Undergraduates and graduate students studying American literary history who need an early critical perspective for reference
Readers interested in the history of American literary criticism and nineteenth-century academic writing
Researchers preparing papers or course reports who need to trace authors and works
Self-learners who wish to build a framework of early American literature before reading primary texts

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking a contemporary, authoritative, and comprehensive general history of American literature
Beginners with limited English reading ability who need a Chinese translation and detailed notes
Readers who expect only selected passages or excerpts of original texts and do not wish to read critical commentary

Reading tips

First browse the table of contents, mark entries for authors you know, then expand from there to unfamiliar sections.
Read the commentary alongside the original works of the authors discussed to test the strengths and weaknesses of the early critical perspective.
Note down judgments that reflect the limitations of their time as you read, for later comparison with contemporary scholarship.
Use it as course support material, reading it in installments according to literary-historical periods rather than straight through.

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 literary history or an anthology?

It is closer to a work combining literary history with critical study, focused on commentary and survey rather than on collecting original texts. Readers should treat it as a research-oriented work, not as a literary reader.

Are the views in the book still applicable today?

The book reflects the critical outlook of the late nineteenth to early twentieth century, and some judgments and selections bear the limitations of their time. It is best read as material on research paradigms and academic history, and compared with contemporary literary histories.

Can I read it directly without relevant background?

You can, but your depth of understanding will be limited. The book involves a great many names of authors and works; if you have no prior knowledge of the early development of American literature, it is advisable to read a concise general history first or use it alongside course notes.

Comments

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About the author

Henry Augustin Beers Author · American · 1847–1926

Henry Augustin Beers (1847–1926) was an American literary historian and poet who taught for many years as a professor of English at Yale University. His research centered on the development of English and American literature, with particular attention to the origins and course of the English Romantic movement. Ten of his works are held in this collection, including A History of English Romanticism in the Eighteenth Century, A History of English Romanticism in the Nineteenth Century, From Chaucer to Tennyson, Brief History of English and American Literature, and Four Americans, a study of Roosevelt, Hawthorne, Emerson, and Whitman. Beers was skilled at tracing the evolution of literary history in clear, readable prose; his survey works long served as introductory texts to English and American literature, combining scholarship with accessibility. Public information on the details of his life is limited, and his influence rests chiefly on these literary histories and essays.