Biographical Essays |
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according admiration allow already amongst beauty birth called cents century character Charles circumstances connected continued critic death died direct doubt drama edition effect English equally event expression fact father feeling final four French friends German give Goethe Greek hand honor human impression intellectual interest Italy John known Lamb language least less letter lines literature lived London Lord means memory mind moral nature never NOTE notice object offered once original parents perhaps period play poem poet Pope Pope's present probably published question rank reader reason received record regard relation remarkable respect Schiller seems sense Shakspeare Shakspeare's speak stage supposed thing thought tion translation true truth volume whilst whole writing young
Popular passages
Page 19 - Sweet Swan of Avon! what a sight it were To see thee in our water yet appear, And make those flights upon the banks of Thames That so did take Eliza and our James!
Page 49 - No sweet aspersion shall the heavens let fall, To make this contract grow ; but barren hate, Sour-ey'd disdain, and discord, shall bestrew The union of your bed with weeds so loathly, That you shall hate it both : therefore, take heed, As Hymen's lamps shall light you.
Page 94 - I have heard that Mr. Shakspeare was a natural wit, without any art at all ; hee frequented the plays all his younger time, but in his elder days lived at Stratford, and supplied the stage with two plays every year, and for itt had an allowance so large, that hee spent att the rate of 1,000/. a-year, as I have heard.
Page 130 - Then he instructed a young nobleman, that the best poet in England was Mr. Pope (a Papist), who had begun a translation of Homer into English verse, for which he must have them all subscribe. "For," says he, "the author shall not begin to print till I have a thousand guineas for him.
Page 153 - Peace to all such ! but were there one whose fires True genius kindles, and fair fame inspires; Blest with each talent and each art to please, And born to write, converse, and live with ease : Should such a man, too fond to rule alone, Bear, like the Turk...
Page 3 - LOWELL'S WRITINGS. COMPLETE POETICAL WORKS. Revised, with Additions. In two volumes, 16mo. Cloth. Price $1.50. SIR LAUNFAL. New Edition. Price 25 cents. A FABLE FOR CRITICS. New Edition. Price 50 cents. THE BIGLOW PAPERS. A New Edition. Price 63 cents. EDWIN P. WHIPPLE'S WRITINGS. ESSAYS AND REVIEWS. 2 Vols. Price $2.00 LECTURES ON SUBJECTS CONNECTED WITH LITERATURE AND LIFE.
Page 181 - Wanting it, what savage unsocial nights must our ancestors have spent, wintering in caves and unillumined fastnesses ! They must have lain about and grumbled at one another in the dark. What repartees could have passed, when you must have felt about for a smile, and handled a neighbor's cheek to be sure that he understood it ? This accounts for the seriousness of the elder poetry. It has a sombre cast (try Hesiod or Ossian), derived from the tradition of those unlantern'd nights. Jokes came in with...
Page 141 - I thank God, her death was as easy as her life was innocent ; and as it cost her not a groan, or even a sigh, there is yet upon her countenance such an expression of tranquillity, nay, almost of pleasure, that it is even amiable to behold it.
Page 205 - Titian, &c., there seemed a tone of sincerity and of native sensibility, as in one who spoke from himself, and was not merely a copier from books. This it was that interested me ; as also his reviews of the chief Italian engravers, Morghen, Volpato, &c. ; not for the manner, which overflowed with levities and impertinence, but for the substance of his judgments in those cases where I happened to have had an opportunity of judging for myself.
Page 165 - The same qualities which will be found forbidding to the world and the thoughtless, which will be found insipid to many even amongst robust and powerful minds, are exactly those which will continue to command a select audience in every generation. The prose essays, under the signature of Elia, form the most delightful section amongst Lamb's works. They traverse a peculiar field of observation, sequestered from general interest...
Bibliographic information
| Title | Biographical Essays Volume 2 of De Quincey's writings. [v. 2] Volume 2 of Works, Thomas De Quincey |
| Author | Thomas De Quincey |
| Publisher | Ticknor, Reed, and Fields, 1851 |
| Original from | Harvard University |
| Digitized | Nov 7, 2007 |
| Length | 288 pages |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |