The Oxford Book of American Essays by Brander Matthews et al.

The Oxford Book of American Essays

Matthews, Brander — 2024-11-05T10:59:06Z

This edition had all images removed.

Title: The Oxford Book of American Essays

Note: Reading ease score: 63.0 (8th & 9th grade). Neither easy nor difficult to read.

Contents: Introduction -- The ephemera: an emblem of human life / Benjamin Franklin -- The whistle / Benjamin Franklin -- Dialogue between Franklin and the gout / Benjamin Franklin -- Consolation for the old bachelor / Francis Hopkinson -- John Bull / Washington Irving -- The mutability of literature / Washington Irving -- Kean's acting / Richard Henry Dana -- Gifts / Ralph Waldo Emerson -- Uses of great men / Ralph Waldo Emerson -- Buds and bird-voices / Nathaniel Hawthorne -- The philosophy of composition / Edgar Allan Poe -- Bread and the newspaper / Oliver Wendell Holmes -- Walking / Henry David Thoreau -- On a certain condescension in foreigners / James Russell Lowell -- Preface to "Leaves of Grass" / Walt Whitman -- Americanism in literature / Thomas Wentworth Higginson -- Thackeray in America / George William Curtis -- Our march to Washington / Theodore Winthrop -- Calvin / Charles Dudley Warner -- Five American contributions to civilization / Charles William Eliot -- I talk of dreams / William Dean Howells -- An idyl of the honey-bee / John Burroughs -- Cut-off Copples's / Clarence King -- The Théâtre Français / Henry James -- Theocritus on Cape Cod / Hamilton Wright Mabie -- Colonialism in the United States / Henry Cabot Lodge -- New York after Paris / William Crary Brownell -- The tyranny of things / Edward Sandford Martin -- Free trade vs. protection in literature / Samuel McChord Crothers -- Dante and the Bowery / Theodore Roosevelt -- The revolt of the unfit / Nicholas Murray Butler -- On translating the odes of Horace / William Peterfield Trent.

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Summary: "The Oxford Book of American Essays" by Brander Matthews is a collection of essays written in the early 20th century. The anthology brings together works from prominent American writers, showcasing the evolution and distinct flavor of American literature within the broader context of English literature. The collection addresses various themes, reflecting on the American experience and its unique contributions to the genre of the essay. At the start of this anthology, the introduction by Brander Matthews discusses the relationship between American and English literature, emphasizing that while American literature is part of the English literary tradition, it is characterized by its own distinct qualities influenced by the unique American social and cultural landscape. In this context, the selection of essays aims to highlight typical examples of American contributions through the lens of various esteemed authors, such as Benjamin Franklin and Ralph Waldo Emerson. The opening portion sets the stage for a deeper exploration of individual essays and the insights they provide into American thought and life, all while critiquing the notion that American literature needs to be separate from its British counterpart. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Contributor: Brownell, W. C. (William Crary), 1851-1928

Contributor: Burroughs, John, 1837-1921

Contributor: Butler, Nicholas Murray, 1862-1947

Contributor: Crothers, Samuel McChord, 1857-1927

Contributor: Curtis, George William, 1824-1892

Contributor: Dana, Richard Henry, 1815-1882

Contributor: Eliot, Charles William, 1834-1926

Contributor: Emerson, Ralph Waldo, 1803-1882

Contributor: Franklin, Benjamin, 1706-1790

Contributor: Hawthorne, Nathaniel, 1804-1864

Contributor: Higginson, Thomas Wentworth, 1823-1911

Contributor: Holmes, Oliver Wendell, 1809-1894

Contributor: Howells, William Dean, 1837-1920

Contributor: Irving, Washington, 1783-1859

Contributor: James, Henry, 1843-1916

Contributor: King, Clarence, 1842-1901

Contributor: Lodge, Henry Cabot, 1850-1924

Contributor: Lowell, James Russell, 1819-1891

Contributor: Mabie, Hamilton Wright, 1846-1916

Contributor: Martin, Edward Sandford, 1856-1939

Contributor: Poe, Edgar Allan, 1809-1849

Contributor: Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Contributor: Thoreau, Henry David, 1817-1862

Contributor: Trent, William P. (William Peterfield), 1862-1939

Contributor: Warner, Charles Dudley, 1829-1900

Contributor: Whitman, Walt, 1819-1892

Contributor: Winthrop, Theodore, 1828-1861

Editor: Matthews, Brander, 1852-1929

EBook No.: 40196

Published: Jul 10, 2012

Downloads: 712

Language: English

Subject: American essays

LoCC: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature

Category: Text

Rights: Public domain in the USA.