Modern English Books of Power

English Books of Power, by
George Hamlin Fitch

Project Gutenberg's Modern English Books of Power, by George
Hamlin Fitch This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost
and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it
away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License
included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
Title: Modern English Books of Power
Author: George Hamlin Fitch
Release Date: September 9, 2006 [EBook #19222]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MODERN
ENGLISH BOOKS OF POWER ***

Produced by Juliet Sutherland, Jeannie Howse and the Online
Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net

* * * * *
+--------------------------------------------------------------+ | Transcriber's
Note: | | | | Inconsistent hyphenation in the original document has been |

| preserved. | | | | A number of obvious typographical errors have been
corrected | | in this text. For a complete list, please see the end of | | this
document. | | | +--------------------------------------------------------------+
* * * * *

[Illustration: CHARLES DICKENS READING "THE CHIMES" AT
58 LINCOLN'S INN FIELDS ON THE SECOND OF DECEMBER,
1844. FROM A SKETCH BY DANIEL MACLISE, R.A.]

MODERN ENGLISH BOOKS OF POWER
BY GEORGE HAMLIN FITCH
"A GOOD BOOK IS THE PRECIOUS LIFE-BLOOD OF A MASTER
SPIRIT, EMBALMED AND TREASURED UP ON PURPOSE TO A
LIFE BEYOND LIFE." MILTON: AREOPAGITICA
ILLUSTRATED
BARSE & HOPKINS NEW YORK NEWARK N.Y. N.J.

Copyright, 1912 by BARSE & HOPKINS
The articles in this book appeared originally in the Sunday book-page
of the San Francisco Chronicle. The privilege of reproducing them here
is due to the courtesy of M.H. de Young, Esq.

TO AMERIQUE WHOSE LOVE AND ENCOURAGEMENT
HELPED ME TO WRITE THIS BOOK

CONTENTS
PAGE
INTRODUCTION ix
THE VITAL QUALITY IN LITERATURE xi
To Get the Spiritual Essence of a Great Book One Must Study the Man
Who Wrote It--The Man Is the Best Epitome of His Message.
MACAULAY'S ESSAYS IN EUROPEAN HISTORY 3
Foremost English Essayist--His Style and Learning Have Made
Macaulay a Favorite for Over a Half Century.
SCOTT AND HIS WAVERLEY NOVELS 11
Greatest Novelist the World Has Known--Made History Real and
Created Characters That Will Never Die.
CARLYLE AS AN INSPIRER OF YOUTH 20
Finest English Prose Writer--His Best Books, Past and Present, Sartor
Resartus and the French Revolution.
DE QUINCEY AS A MASTER OF STYLE 30
He Wrote the Confessions of an English Opium-Eater--Dreamed
Dreams and Saw Visions and Pictured Them in Poetic Prose.
CHARLES LAMB AND THE ESSAYS OF ELIA 38
Best Beloved of All the English Writers--Quaintest and Tenderest
Essayist Whose Work Appeals to All Hearts.
DICKENS, THE FOREMOST OF NOVELISTS 47
More Widely Read Than Any Other Story-Teller--The Greatest of the

Modern Humorists Appeals to the Readers of All Ages and Classes.
THACKERAY, GREATEST MASTER OF FICTION 56
The Most Accomplished Writer of His Century--Tender Pathos Under
an Affectation of Cynicism and Great Art in Style and Characters.
CHARLOTTE BRONTË; HER TWO GREAT NOVELS 66
Jane Eyre and Villette are Touched With Genius--The Tragedy of a
Woman's Life That Resulted in Two Stories of Passionate Revolt
Against Fate.
GEORGE ELIOT AND HER TWO GREAT NOVELS 76
Adam Bede and The Mill on the Floss--Her Early Stories Are Rich in
Character Sketches, With Much Humor and Pathos.
RUSKIN, THE APOSTLE OF ART 87
Art Critic and Social Reformer--Best Books Are Modern Painters, The
Seven Lamps and The Stones of Venice.
TENNYSON LEADS THE VICTORIAN WRITERS 96
A Poet Who Voiced the Aspirations of His Age--Locksley Hall, In
Memoriam and The Idylls of the King Among His Best Works.
BROWNING, GREATEST POET SINCE SHAKESPEARE 106
How to Get the Best of Browning's Poems--Read the Lyrics First and
Then Take Up the Longer and the More Difficult Works.
MEREDITH AND A FEW OF HIS BEST NOVELS 115
One of the Greatest Masters of Fiction of the Last Century--The Ordeal
of Richard Feverel, Diana of the Crossways and Other Novels.
STEVENSON, PRINCE OF MODERN STORY-TELLERS 123

His Stories of Adventure and Brilliant Essays--Treasure Island and Dr.
Jekyll and Mr. Hyde His Most Popular Books.
THOMAS HARDY; HIS TRAGIC TALES OF WESSEX 131
Greatest Living Writer of English Fiction--Resenting Harsh Criticisms,
the Prose Master Turns to Verse.
KIPLING'S BEST SHORT STORIES AND POEMS 140
Tales of East Indian Life and Character--Ideal Training of the Genius
That Has Produced Some of the Best Literary Work of Our Day.
BIBLIOGRAPHY 151
Short Notes of Both Standard and Other Editions, With Lives, Sketches
and Reminiscences.
INDEX 165

Illustrations
FACING PAGE
Charles Dickens Reading The Chimes at 58 Lincoln's Inn Fields on the
Second of December, 1844. From a Sketch by Daniel Maclise, R.A.
Title
Thomas Babington Macaulay at the Age of Forty-nine--After an
Engraving by W.