Lord Chesterfield's Letters

Lord Chesterfield's Letters

Author: Lord Chesterfield

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2008-09-11

Total Pages: 481

ISBN-13: 0199554846

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`My object is to have you fit to live; which, if you are not, I do not desire that you should live at all.' So wrote Lord Chesterfield in one of the most celebrated and controversial correspondences between a father and son. Chesterfield wrote almost daily to his natural son, Philip, from 1737 onwards, providing him with instruction in etiquette and the worldly arts. Praised in their day as a complete manual of education, and despised by Samuel Johnson for teaching `the morals of a whore and the manners of a dancing-master', these letters reflect the political craft of a leading statesman and the urbane wit of a man who associated with Pope, Addison, and Swift. The letters reveal Chesterfield's political cynicism and his belief that his country had `always been goverened by the only two or three people, out of two or three millions, totally incapable of governing', as well as his views on good breeding. Not originally intended for publication, this entertaining correspondence illuminates fascinating aspects of eighteenth-century life and manners. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.


Children's Literature

Children's Literature

Author: Seth Lerer

Publisher: University of Chicago Press

Published: 2009-04-01

Total Pages: 396

ISBN-13: 0226473023

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Ever since children have learned to read, there has been children’s literature. Children’s Literature charts the makings of the Western literary imagination from Aesop’s fables to Mother Goose, from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland to Peter Pan, from Where the Wild Things Are to Harry Potter. The only single-volume work to capture the rich and diverse history of children’s literature in its full panorama, this extraordinary book reveals why J. R. R. Tolkien, Dr. Seuss, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Beatrix Potter, and many others, despite their divergent styles and subject matter, have all resonated with generations of readers. Children’s Literature is an exhilarating quest across centuries, continents, and genres to discover how, and why, we first fall in love with the written word. “Lerer has accomplished something magical. Unlike the many handbooks to children’s literature that synopsize, evaluate, or otherwise guide adults in the selection of materials for children, this work presents a true critical history of the genre. . . . Scholarly, erudite, and all but exhaustive, it is also entertaining and accessible. Lerer takes his subject seriously without making it dull.”—Library Journal (starred review) “Lerer’s history reminds us of the wealth of literature written during the past 2,600 years. . . . With his vast and multidimensional knowledge of literature, he underscores the vital role it plays in forming a child’s imagination. We are made, he suggests, by the books we read.”—San Francisco Chronicle “There are dazzling chapters on John Locke and Empire, and nonsense, and Darwin, but Lerer’s most interesting chapter focuses on girls’ fiction. . . . A brilliant series of readings.”—Diane Purkiss, Times Literary Supplement


The Search for Good Sense

The Search for Good Sense

Author: F. L. Lucas

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2015-11-19

Total Pages: 386

ISBN-13: 1474241301

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Best known for his guide on writing and recognizing good prose, Style (1955), F.L. Lucas addresses four of the most popular 18th-century English poets and writers in this book: Samuel Johnson, Lord Chesterfield, James Boswell and Oliver Goldsmith. Knowledgeably, conversationally, and often amusing, he sketches the images of men who greatly influenced 18th century England and its literary landscape.


The Crisis of Courtesy

The Crisis of Courtesy

Author: Jacques Carré

Publisher: BRILL

Published: 1994

Total Pages: 232

ISBN-13: 9789004100053

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"The Crisis of Courtesy" explores the metamorphosis of British courtesy-literature from the 17th to the 19th centuries. It shows how the preoccupation with conduct provided the subject-matter of such diverse literary forms as poetry, the essay and the novel.