Lauds and libels

Graves, Charles L. (Charles Larcom), 1856-1944Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.8

Word count: 67K words
Chapters: 7

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.Lauds and libels by Charles L. GravesAuthor: Graves, Charles L. (Charles Larcom), 1856-1944,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Jul 8, 2018

Editor's review

Lauds and Libels is a collection of verse by the English writer Charles L. Graves. The title's lauds and libels point respectively to praise and mockery, indicating that the book uses short poems to carry praise and censure. The language is concise and the rhythm light, with a clear English essayistic and satirical tradition; it is suitable as an introductory read for understanding early twentieth-century British literary taste and the style of newspaper verse. As a public-domain Project Gutenberg e-book, it is easily accessible, suited to casual dipping in spare moments, and can also serve as light extensive reading in English poetry and satirical literature. Readers should focus on its humorous technique and period context rather than expect systematic long-form argument; those unfamiliar with British social and cultural background may first learn about the newspaper-writing environment in which the author worked before entering the text.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in English satirical verse and light poetry
English learners seeking extensive reading of verse to build language feel
Enthusiasts studying early twentieth-century British newspaper literature
Casual readers who enjoy short essays and poems for dipping into

Not a good fit for

Readers who prefer long narratives or systematic theoretical works
Readers not interested in verse forms or British humor
Academic researchers requiring detailed annotations and background scholarship

Reading tips

Read piece by piece, a few poems at a time, without necessarily reading straight through.
First guess from the title whether the tone is praise or mockery, then read the text to verify, training close reading.
Mark allusions or names as you go, then look them up together to understand the satirical target.
Read aloud to feel the rhyme and rhythm of English verse.

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

What do lauds and libels mean in the title?

Lauds means praise or commendation; libels here refers to mocking or disparaging writing. Placing the two together in the title indicates that the book writes both praise and blame in verse; readers can watch how the author shifts attitude and tone within short pieces.

Can I read it without a background in English literature?

Yes, but some pieces involve figures, events, or social manners of the time, and without background it can be hard to understand the satirical target. It is advisable to read first for tone, then look up marked allusions together, or choose an edition with a guide.

Is this book suitable as English learning material?

It is suitable for extensive reading and training language feel. The verse is short with obvious rhythm, convenient for reading aloud and imitation, but vocabulary and allusions may be old-fashioned; beginners should use annotations or a dictionary and focus on sentence patterns and rhetoric rather than word-by-word translation.

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About the author

Graves, Charles L. (Charles Larcom), 1856-1944 Author

Charles L. Graves (1856–1944) was a British writer and humorous poet, best known for his long association with Punch magazine. His most widely known work is the four-volume Mr. Punch's History of Modern England, which spans 1841–1857, 1857–1874, 1874–1892 and 1892–1914. Drawing on Punch's cartoons and texts, it traces the changes in British social and political life from the Victorian era to the eve of the First World War. He also wrote Mr. Punch's History of the Great War and Lauds and Libels. Six of his works are held in this collection, mainly dealing with the history and satirical literature of Punch. Public information about his life is limited, so biographical details cannot be given here. His writing is lively and humorous, using cartoons and satire to portray the spirit of the age, and these works remain useful references for the study of modern British humorous periodicals and social history.