Tasting the Earth

Mona GouldProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.8

Word count: 27K words
Chapters: 3

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.Tasting the Earth by Mona GouldAuthor: Gould, Mona, 1908-1999,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Nov 15, 2010

Editor's review

Tasting the Earth is a poetry collection by the Canadian poet Mona Gould (1908–1999), released free by Project Gutenberg under American and Canadian literature. Gould was active in twentieth-century Canadian poetry in English, and her work often uses finely rendered sensory experience to catch the subtle tremors of nature and daily life; the collection's title itself suggests an approach that apprehends the earth through the sense of taste. For Chinese readers its value lies not in grand narrative but in offering short English poems that can be chewed over repeatedly: concrete imagery, language that is not obscure, suited to reading one or two poems in spare moments and feeling the lyrical texture of mid-twentieth-century North American poetry. There is no need to finish it in one go; treat it as a bedside booklet, read with notes and aloud, and note how the poet weaves land, season, and bodily sensation together. Because the original is in English and systematic translations are hard to find in China, it suits readers with some English reading ability who are willing to read slowly, rather than general readers seeking plot or a knowledge framework.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Poetry lovers with some English who want to encounter twentieth-century Canadian poetry in English
Readers who enjoy nature and sensory imagery and are willing to read short poems slowly
English literature students needing original poetry samples beyond the classroom
Urban readers accustomed to reading a poem or two in fragmented time

Not a good fit for

Readers who rely entirely on Chinese translations and do not want to read English originals
Fiction readers expecting a complete narrative or plot progression
Researchers seeking a systematic understanding of Canadian literary history and schools

Reading tips

Read the table of contents and the first and last few poems first to grasp the collection's tone and thematic direction.
Read each poem twice: the first time for rhythm, the second to look up words and note imagery.
Try recording yourself reading aloud to feel the pauses and stresses of English verse lines.
Keep a notebook and group the poems by season or natural imagery.

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 in Chinese or English?

The original is in English, released free as an ebook by Project Gutenberg; there is currently no accompanying Chinese translation. Chinese readers need basic English reading ability and can read poem by poem with a dictionary, treating it as practice material in original poetry.

Can I read it without a poetry background?

Yes. Gould's poems mostly use concrete imagery and have short lines, a lower threshold than much modernist poetry. Start with the short poems, do not worry about background at first, and simply grasp the images and feelings; after reading more, return to look at diction and structure.

Is it suitable to read in one sitting?

Not really. The collection is not long, but poetry is better read in small amounts over time. Reading too much at once dulls the response; try two or three poems each time, leave time for them to linger, and reread after a few days for a different feeling.

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About the author

Mona Gould Author · Canadian · 1908–1999

Mona Gould (1908–1999) was a Canadian poet, journalist and broadcaster, born in 1908 in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. During the 1940s she published three collections of poetry: Tasting the Earth, I Run with the Fox and Gossip! Her work, often concise and musical in language, captures everyday experience and natural imagery; among her poems, "This Was My Brother" circulated widely and brought her a broader readership. She later hosted programmes on Toronto radio for many years, continuing to speak to the public through her voice. Public information about her education and awards is limited. She died in 1999 in Collingwood, Ontario, and her poems are still regarded as a fresh and approachable page in modern Canadian poetry.