Esther's Classic Literature Blog January 2004 Archive

Emily Dickinson was born on December 10, 1830, in Amherst, Massachusetts; and she would spend most of the rest of her life there. She had no wish to travel or ... Read More

Emily Elizabeth Dickinson was born in Amherst, Massachusetts on December 10, 1830. She was the second child of Edward and Emily Norcross Dickinson. Her family was prominent in Amherst. Her ... Read More

As Duchan Caudill writes, "Defoe presents 'Moll Flanders' in the guise of an autobiography, written by a woman of advanced years. Defoe was adroit at creating a narrative, relaying the ... Read More

O. Henry was born William Sydney Porter on September 11, 1862 in Greensboro, North Carolina. His father, Algernon Sidney Porter, was a physician. His mother, Mrs. Algernon Sidney Porter (Mary ... Read More

O. Henry (pseudonym for William Sydney Porter) was born in on September 11, 1862 in Greensboro, North Carolina. O. Henry became famous for his many short stories (some 600 in ... Read More

In "Death Be Not Proud," John Gunther explores the process of death: discovery, fighting, living on, and then dying. The process becomes just a little bit easier, as humor, human ... Read More

Welcome to the daily literature e-mail, where you'll read literature. Each day, you'll receive a short passage of literature, which is drawn from the Classic Literature e-text library. Besides offering ... Read More

In "What Happens in Literature," Edward W. Rosenheim offers a brief discussion of the basics of literature, including poems, novels and plays. He argues that the main focus of reading ... Read More

(ca. 1343-1400) British writer. Geoffrey Chaucer has been called "the father of English literature," and he was certainly one of the most famous writers in British literature, known for his ... Read More

In "Discovery of Atlantis," Robert Sarmast discusses the origins of the Atlantis legend, starting with the first written records by Plato more than 2,000 years ago. He takes a look ... Read More

(1830-1894) British writer. Christina Rossetti was part of the Pre-Raphaelite movement, and famous for "Goblin Market," "A Birthday," and "Up-Hill." In "Song," Christina Rossetti writes, When I am dead, my ... Read More

Percy Bysshe Shelley has long been recognized as one of the most famous Romantic poets. In addition to his fame as a poet, he was also the husband of another ... Read More

Alexander Pope is reknowned as a poet, crtic, and essayist. He was a self-taught scholar and satirist. Among his most well-known works is "The Rape of the Lock" (1712-1714), and ... Read More

The novels in this newest volume of collected works begin to explore new frontiers in John Steinbeck's writing, as he takes us to Europe, to Mexico, and then back home ... Read More

As Duchan Caudill writes, "R.M. du Gard was born into a prominent upper-class family. Throughout his writing career, du Gard would document the values, expectations and conflicts of members of ... Read More

Duchan Caudill writes, "Written between 1922 and 1929, this 800-page chronicle of a Parisian family is a rewarding work for readers interested primarily in psychological motivations of complex, life-like characters. ... Read More

Pulitzer-Prize winning biographer Kenneth Silverman reflects on the life and works of Edgar Allan Poe, with many of the contradictions and travesties that make up this illusive and often controversial ... Read More

C.S. Lewis is one of the most versatile figures in literary history. He dreamed of becoming a great poet; instead, he achieved fame as the writer of children's books, nonfiction, ... Read More

Mary Shelley's most lasting, and most memorable achievement is her creation of the monster, Frankenstein. The tale is said to have come out of a dare by Lord Byron that ... Read More

In his review, Duchan Caudill writes, "Perhaps the most profound text in the canon of Hindu literature is 'The Bhagavad-Gita,' a sacred text, which most translators call 'Song of the ... Read More

How do you write essays about literature? Where do you start? What do you include? How do you use literary theory in a literature paper? These books explore the complexity ... Read More

(ca. 1343-1400) British writer. Geoffrey Chaucer has been called "the father of English literature," and he was certainly one of the most famous writers in British literature, known for his ... Read More

Herbert Marder conceptualizes the last ten years of Virginia Woolf's life, focusing on her revolutionary works, which she created before committing suicide in 1941. It was the most difficult time ... Read More

(1882-1941) British writer. Virginia Woolf was born on January 25, 1882, in London. Woolf became one of the most prominent literary figures of the early 20th century, with novels like ... Read More

As Duchan Caudill writes, "Defoe presents 'Moll Flanders' in the guise of an autobiography, written by a woman of advanced years. Defoe was adroit at creating a narrative, relaying the ... Read More

With "The Fellowship of the Ring," "The Two Towers," and "The Return of the King," the world was introduced to the genre of fantasy, drawn in by the magic and ... Read More

Welcome to the daily literature e-mail, where you'll read literature. Each day, you'll receive a short passage of literature, which is drawn from the Classic Literature e-text library. Besides offering ... Read More

In recent years, Jane Austen's works have been converted to music and book adaptations, along with television, film, and stage productions. In this volume of essays, Linda Troot and Sayre ... Read More

C.S. Lewis is one of the most versatile figures in literary history. He dreamed of becoming a great poet; instead, he achieved fame as the writer of children's books, nonfiction, ... Read More

(1830-1894) British writer. Christina Rossetti was part of the Pre-Raphaelite movement, and famous for "Goblin Market," "A Birthday," and "Up-Hill." In "Song," Christina Rossetti writes, When I am dead, my ... Read More

Mark Twain was born Samuel Langhorne Clemens on November 30, 1835 in Florida, Missouri. He was the fifth surviving child of John and Jane Lampton Clemens. The work that first ... Read More

With this new biography, Fred Kaplan offers a new perspective to the oft-told tales of Mark Twain's life and works. Although biographers have long navigated the ambiguous and misleading labyrinth ... Read More

As Duchan Caudill writes, "R.M. du Gard was born into a prominent upper-class family. Throughout his writing career, du Gard would document the values, expectations and conflicts of members of ... Read More

(ca. 1343-1400) British writer. Geoffrey Chaucer has been called "the father of English literature," and he was certainly one of the most famous writers in British literature, known for his ... Read More

The "Oxford English Dictionary" is one of the greatest achievements in English literature, but it didn't happen overnight. In "Professor and the Madman," Simon Winchester delves into the mysterious history ... Read More

As Duchan Caudill writes, "Defoe presents 'Moll Flanders' in the guise of an autobiography, written by a woman of advanced years. Defoe was adroit at creating a narrative, relaying the ... Read More

(1783-1859) American writer. Washington Irving's pseudonyms included: Dietrich Knickerbocker, Jonathan Oldstyle, and Geoffrey Crayon. Washington Irving was a short story writer, famous for works like "Rip Van Winkle" and "The ... Read More

In "Death Be Not Proud," John Gunther explores the process of death: discovery, fighting, living on, and then dying. The process becomes just a little bit easier, as humor, human ... Read More

"Auld Lang Syne" is a famous New Year's Eve/Day favorite, but few people seem to remember the words. Here's one of the most famous renditions of the work by Robert ... Read More