Publisher's Synopsis
Excerpt from Lectures on Literature
But this lordly approach is not imperative, for Literature, lofty as it may be at times, is not remote arid austere. At its best it is friendly and intimate. It is /not for holidays only and occasions of state; it is for everyday use. It is not for the wise and the learned only, but for all sorts and conditions of men. It provides the simple ballad and the casual folk-tale that live by word of mouth, generation after generation, on the lonely hillside; and it proffers also the soul-searching tragedy which grips the masses in the densely crowded city. It has its message for every one, old and young, rich and poor, educated and ignorant; and it is su preme only as it succeeds in widening its invitation to include us all. At one time it brings words of cheer to the weak and the downhearted; and at another it stirs the strong like the blare of the bugle. It has as many aspects as the public has many minds. It is sometimes to be recovered only by diligent scholarship out of the dust Of the ages; and it is sometimes to be discovered amid the fleeting words lavishly poured out in the books of the hour, in the maga zines, and even in the daily journals. It may be born of a chance occasion and yet be worthy to survive through the long ages the Gettysburg address, for example, and the Recessional. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
