Poems

Howard, HattieProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

1.8

Word count: 132K words
Chapters: 14

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.Poems by Hattie HowardAuthor: Howard, Hattie,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Aug 23, 2006

Editor's review

This public-domain electronic collection of Hattie Howard's poems belongs to the American and Canadian literature category and is distributed by Project Gutenberg. For Chinese readers, its value lies not in canonical status but in offering a readable sample of English lyric poetry from the late nineteenth to early twentieth century: modest in length, fairly plain in language, with imagery drawn mostly from daily life and nature. It suits beginners to English poetry and is also convenient for studying the electronic form of public-domain poetic texts. There is no need to read word by word; first read through to feel the rhythm and mood, then choose a few favorite poems to read aloud repeatedly and appreciate the rhythm and rhyme of English verse. Since the author is not a poet well known in the Chinese-speaking world, readers should approach with an exploratory rather than reverent attitude, treating it as a small, quiet walk through English poetry.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Chinese readers who want a light introduction to English poetry
English majors using it for extracurricular extensive reading and rhythm practice
Readers interested in public-domain e-books and nineteenth-century English literature
Those who enjoy short poems and are willing to read aloud in spare moments

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting classic poems by famous masters or in-depth literary research
Those with weak English who need sentence-by-sentence notes and translation assistance
Readers who prefer long narrative or strongly plotted texts

Reading tips

First read through the whole collection to feel its overall tone, then choose two or three poems to read aloud repeatedly.
While reading aloud, pay attention to end rhymes and stress positions to appreciate the rhythm of English poetry.
Keep paper and pen to note favorite images or lines and write down brief personal responses.
Read alongside contemporary English lyric poetry to observe differences in subject matter and technique.

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 English beginners?

It can be tried as an introduction, but a certain vocabulary base is needed. The poetic language is plain and most sentences are short, yet without notes or translations beginners will still find it difficult. It is advisable to read a few poems first to gauge the difficulty, then decide whether to read each poem closely, or use it with a dictionary and audio recordings.

Why is it described as a public-domain e-book?

The book was compiled and released by Project Gutenberg and is an electronic text whose copyright has entered the public domain. Project Gutenberg is the earliest provider of free e-books; its founder Michael Hart pioneered the e-book format in 1971. This means readers can obtain and read it free of charge, though the text is edited primarily for electronic readability.

Do I need to know the author's biography to read this poetry collection?

No prior background research is necessary. The author is not widely known in the Chinese-speaking world and materials are limited, so reading the poems themselves is more practical. If interest arises afterward, you can look up related introductions in the English-speaking world, but avoid assuming a correspondence between the biography and the lines, lest you overinterpret.

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About the author

Howard, Hattie Author

Hattie Howard is an author about whom little public information is currently available; details such as her nationality, dates of birth and death, and full English name have not been clearly recorded. One work by her is held in the collection, namely the poetry collection Poems. Judging from this surviving work, Howard wrote primarily poetry, with subjects often drawn from daily life, natural scenery, and personal feeling. Her language is plain and her rhythms natural, and her verse has a lyrical and introspective quality. Because relevant materials are scarce, scholarly and general understanding of the full range of her writing, the stages of her development, and her literary standing remains quite limited, and it is difficult at present to offer a systematic assessment of her stylistic evolution and influence. Nevertheless, Poems, as her representative work preserved in the world, still provides readers with a basic point of entry into this author's poetic profile and serves as the main basis for further examination of her literary value.