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Book Review: Wordsworth and Coleridge Lyrical Ballads 1798
Title: Wordsworth and Coleridge Lyrical Ballads 1798 Authors: William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge Editor: W. J. B. Owen, Professor of English McMaster University Published: Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1969. Pages-180. This was the first collection of poems that Wordsworth and Coleridge put out. It was released in 1798. I got this book from my local library because I am interested in finding out more about the Lake poets. Therefore, this was not a random pick out of the hat. I have some meaning for reading and discussing this work. This essay will cover a brief biographical sketch of the two poets and the editor, and next a discussion of the editor’s portion, and then finally my impression of the poems contained therein. William Wordsworth was born April 7, 1770 in Cockermouth, Cumberland, England and died April 23, 1850 in Grasmere, Westmorland, England.[1] His mother died when he was eight, and his father five years later.[2] Before the age of thirteen , his father had him memorize “large portions” of Spenser, Shakespeare, and Milton.[3] He attended St. John’s College, Cambridge, in which he exhibited mediocre academic progress, and instead of striving for honors and fellowship, he settled with a pass…
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My Poetry: Routine Surgery
Routine Surgery She was scared as it was time to leave The doctor and nurses were ready It’s not as bad as it used to be He’s the head of cardiology She was scared as they go to leave The family was busy praying They wave “See you soon!” with worried smiles As she goes away to surgery She was scared as she started to go under The surgeon gets to work The hours go by very, very slowly And somethings not quite right They were scared waiting in that tiny room The doctor explained with consolation Time is stopped, and all stands still And they know she’s gone away.
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My Poetry: An Old Woman’s Smile
An Old Woman’s Smile Dreaming dreams of yesterday as sunlight warms her face. Her eyes are closed as she sits still with a cover to embrace. The door is opened suddenly, and a familiar voice cries out, “Hello Grandma! How have you been? What a room! Are they taking good care of you? Do you get enough to eat?” She smiles and tells him she is so happy to see him. He brought a potted plant and puts it on her windowsill, And looking round he plops himself down upon the edge of her bed. “This seems like such a nice place, the staff they are so friendly, They say you’ll have a lot to do with bingo and with cards, And if your feeling up to it they can take you round the yard.” She smiles again and takes it in, and enjoys the moment spent. She asks him how he’s doing, his wife and little ones, “Oh, my job keeps me busy, the wife has hers as well, And the little ones, are all grown up and making plans for college.” She smiles again and thinks about how fast the time did go. He looks around the one…
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Book Review: Justice by John Galsworthy
Title: Justice: A Tragedy in Four Acts Author: John Galsworthy Published: New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1910. Pages-109. Vice is a monster of so frightful mien, As, to be hated, needs but to be seen; Yet seen too oft, familiar with her face, We first endure, then pity, then embrace. Alexander Pope (1688 – 1744) An Essay on Man: Epistle II, Lines 217-220[1] John Galsworthy (1867-1933) was an English novelist and playwright. He won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1932.[2] He studied law and was called to the bar in 1890.[3] Shortly afterwards, with a goal to specialize in marine law, he took a voyage around the world in which he met and befriended Joseph Conrad.[4] The Encyclopedia Britannica calls Galsworthy “A passionate partisan of liberal humanitarianism, he had little sympathy with the modern movement in the arts taking place around him. … He had, in short, no profound understanding of human nature, only a keen emotional feeling for the society in which he had himself been brought up and a sentimental esteem for the underdog.”[5] The article gave most of its attention to Galsworthy’s Forsyth Saga, but did have a short comment on this particular work; “Justice (1910),…
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My Poetry: I Have a Book I Carry
I Have a Book I Carry I have a book I carry, much older than myself. I always take it with me, wherever I may go. I’d never dream to leave it, just sitting on a shelf. It is just a little thing, of poetry and prose. Whenever I go out to eat, I always pull it out, And read aloud a page or two, alone or with a guest. They never seem to disagree, or throw a temper fit. But rather marvel at the thought, at what I might present. There is so much to tell you, about my little book, The lessons that it taught me, are many and sublime. I wish to share these treasures, with everyone I meet, So they may appreciate, the wisdom held inside. I have memories of reading, to loved ones who are gone, The lines that made them laugh and smile, and sometimes shed a tear, Will stay with me through all my life, as treasures held most dear, I would not trade this little book, for anything I fear. And this book is filled with more, of that which I adore, Little pieces of the truth, to help me understand; I…
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Anatomy of a Boys’ Life Magazine from December 1966
I came across one of my uncle’s old Boys’ Life magazine in a box of old mementos. I took a gander through it and found some interesting points that I thought I should share with you all. The advertising is what struck me as most significant. In it there was an abundance of gun ads. Mind you, this magazine is targeted for boys from age 11-18. The physical size of the magazine is almost as big as our modern newspaper, being 10.375 inches wide and 13.25 inches tall compared to our Cincinnati Enquirer, which is 10.5 inches wide by 14.5 inches long. It was a monthly publication and sold for $0.25 a copy individually or $3.00 a year by subscription. The magazine consists of one hundred pages, including front and back cover. Inside the front cover is a Coca-Cola full-page ad with Santa Claus sitting at a small bureau with a glass bottle of Coke in his hands. In the small print above the ad is a notice, “America pauses to see “A Charlie Brown Christmas” on CBS-TV, December 11, 7:00-7:30 EST.” The magazine consists of: several articles by guest writers; regular features, such as Hitchin’ Rack, Hobby News, Gifts…
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Book Review: Essays and Essay Writing by William M. Tanner
Title: Essays and Essay Writing: Based on Atlantic Monthly Models Editor: William M. Tanner Published: Boston: The Atlantic Monthly Press, 1918. Pages-307. This is embarrassing. I just recently bought this book at a used book store. I put it in my stack to read, my current stack to read that is. There have been many stacks that went unread and then eventually became assimilated into the ever-growing collection that is my home library. I had just finished reading one of the books in my “new” stack when I looked at this book and the spine. It seemed very familiar to me. Had I purchased this book before? Did another copy lurk on my shelves somewhere? I went exploring. Not only did I find another copy, I found two. I now have three copies of this book and I have never read it. Well, time to fix that! I will have to read it, see if it is any good, and then give a couple copies away to someone whom I think will enjoy it. That, my friends, is how this book came to be next in my review list. What is an essay? Tanner explains it is difficult to understand…
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Book Review: De Quincey by David Masson
Title: De Quincey Author: David Masson Published: New York: Harper & Brothers Publishers, 1887. Pages-198. (Part of the English Men of Letters series edited by John Morley) Thomas De Quincey (1785-1859) was an English writer widely known as the author of Confessions of an Opium Eater. The surname might suggest a French importation, but De Quincey was sensitive to this and stressed that his family had come in with the Conquest and even consisted of some Earls of Winchester in the thirteenth century. Today we might not think much of that, but in De Quincey’s day it was an important distinction. His father was Thomas Quincey (abt. 1752-1792), it seems De Quincey resurrected the “De” with his generation. His father was a literary man and wrote a book A Short Tour in the Midland Counties of England, performed in the Summer of 1772: together with an Account of a Similar Excursion undertaken September, 1774. Masson gives us his impression of the father’s book: “There is an eye also for the picturesque in scenery, and for architectural beauties or defects in towns, churches, and country-seats; and the style is that of a well-educated man, accustomed to write English. Once or twice…
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Book Review: The Reluctant Disciple: Daring to Believe
Title: The Reluctant Disciple: Daring to Believe Author: David Wells, the Director of adult faith formation in the Diocese of Plymouth. Married with three kids. Guest-lectures at three universities.[1] Published: Toronto, Ontario: Novalis, 2015. Pages-181. At my church, for the last couple of years, I have attended a book/Bible study facilitated by our parish priest in between the 8:30 and 11:00 a.m. Mass. We have read and discussed several books from C.S. Lewis and many that were strictly Bible study. We just finished with The Reluctant Disciple. I will be honest, when it was first mentioned I had my doubts. I guess I can tend to be cynical. I was all for Augustine’s Confessions, but Father was probably correct in steering us away from that. Now that we have finished the book, I can truly say it was a good fit for our group. Wells presents thirty chapters that are each titled with a catchy phrase such as, “What the turkey taught us,” Stupid Me,” and “Are you keeping busy?” The chapters start with a few lines of scripture, then, an anecdotal story from Well’s personal life, followed by a part he calls “Making connections, which is really just seeking…
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Book Review: “Christopher North” A Memoir of John Wilson
Title: “Christopher North” A Memoir of John Wilson, Late Professor of Moral Philosophy in the University of Edinburgh, compiled from family papers and other sources by his daughter, Mrs. Gordon Author: Mrs. Gordon, Mary Wilson Gordon Published: New York: W. J. Widdleton, 1863. 484-pages. This book is a biography about a Man of Letters, John Wilson. The term is not really used much anymore. My Encyclopedia Britannica only has a few lines dedicated to him. Wikipedia has just a few paragraphs. However, after reading this book, and thinking about the man, his career, his family, and friends, perhaps it is not Wilson that has lost something by being lost to obscurity, but rather, our loss, a sign of our own decadence and self-centeredness. We, being society in general, tend to think and act like we are the end in itself. I believe we have a lot to learn by studying history and people of importance. How were they able to find and acknowledge the truths they encountered? What were the reasons why they became who they were? Who did they influence? What does this tell us about the human condition in general? In particular? How can we learn from past…
