783.7002 I duc T 799.21.743 HARVARD UNIVERSITY MARVARD COLLEGE LIBRARY TRANSFERRED FROM THE LIBRARY OF THE RADUATE SCHOOL OF EDUCATION Oct. 7, 1926 Copyright, 1921, by THE CENTURY CO. PREFACE This course in the types of literature has been worked out with senior classes in high school during the past five years, but there are also included here the results of practical class-room experience covering a much longer period of time. For this reason it is impossible to make a separate acknowledgment of indebtedness to each of the large number of authorities and experts in each type that have been consulted at various times, and to whom I owe much by way of information and inspiration. I am, however, deeply grateful to them. In the arrangement of the material of this book, the aim has been to make it clear, compact, and interesting to high school pupils; to stimulate the students' own thoughts; to give breadth of view; to make books and reading as attractive as possible; to arouse love for the best things that have been written, not only in the past but in the present time, and to focus the attention on the literature itself rather than on its history. Even though, in this book, the group plan of study is used, an effort is made to lead the pupils to see that literature is a living, growing thing and cannot be bound down by absolute, exact rules; that, instead, it is constantly showing modifications, resulting from the influence of race, time, environment, and individuality of the authors. Since there are, however, so many pieces of literature that naturally fall into more or less distinct groups, the classification and definition of them as embodied here is justified. The chronological method of arrangement has been followed. Each type has been traced from its earliest appearance to the present time, and those that have come to be regarded as the best examples of each form have been especially noted, and, wherever possible, studied. Some of these, however, have ben omitted here because they are usually emphasized in earlier years of the high school course, and others, because they are not suitable for high school study. The chronological tables given in the back of the book will be of value in keeping before the pupil the time sequence so that the types will not become detached in his mind from their literary periods. It has been deemed wise to include everything essential to the course in this one volume, with the exception of the material for outside readings, and the text of "The Tale of Two Cities," full notes of which, however, are given. It is hoped that this wide choice of material, as well as the very full lists for outside readings in connection with each type, will make the book very adaptable and useful for the needs of experienced teachers even though they may, perhaps, wish to make some additions or substitutions for the selections used. It is also hoped that it will prove of especial value to inexperienced teachers, to those who have small library facilities, and to students who must economize in the cost of a course. Should there not be time to read in class all of the selections given here, some of this work could be assigned for outside readings. In the selection of illustrative material wholes have been emphasized. Only in the case of less than a dozen selections have extracts been used and these have been organized into smaller wholes by means of explanatory paragraphs. For instance, a pupil would get a comprehensive idea of "Beowulf," "The Canterbury Tales," "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight," and the first book of "The Faerie Queene," from what has been given here. The other extracts from "Adonaïs," "In Memoriam," "Slumber Songs of the Madonna,' "Drake," and the scenes from "Doctor Faustus" and "Edward the Second" are self-explanatory. 99 66 This study of the types of literature in the fourth year of high school, presupposes courses given in the second and third years in which the most important American and English authors are studied. Such courses are admirably provided for in other numbers of this series of anthologies. A teacher could arrange such preliminary courses, using the various inexpensive classics for the readnigs, and referring the students to the literary histories for the biographical and background material. Emphasis, however, should, in high school, always be placed on the study of the literature itself rather than the history of literature. With such courses as a basis, this study of types would have a firm foundation. Moreover, the different point of view shown here is likely to attract the average high school senior, open up a new field of interest to him, and inspire a deeper love for books and reading than would be possible in the chronological study of authors and works alone. In reality, it will be found that this viewpoint is the pupil's own, for, in his unguided reading, he has always thought of books in terms of types. He has consciously selected novels, stories, plays, or poems |