Project Gutenberg 2004-05-01 Public domain in the USA. 406 Strachey, Lytton 1880 1932 Strachey, Giles Lytton Books and Characters, French & English Books and Characters French and English Racine -- Sir Thomas Browne -- Shakespeare's final period -- The lives of the poets -- Madame du Deffand -- Voltaire and England -- A dialogue -- Voltaire's tragedies -- Voltaire and Frederick the Great -- The Rousseau affair -- The poetry of Blake -- The last Elizabethan -- Henri Beyle -- Lady Hester Stanhope -- Mr. Creevey. Produced by Jonathan Ingram, Wilelmina Mallière and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team. "Books and Characters, French & English" by Lytton Strachey is a collection of essays and literary critiques that reflects the author's sharp wit and keen insight, written in the early 20th century. The book explores the contrasting perceptions of notable figures in French and English literature, highlighting the disparities in critical reception and cultural appreciation, particularly focusing on playwrights such as Racine and Shakespeare. Strachey aims to address the complexities and judgments that accompany literary criticism while safeguarding the dignity of these significant works. The opening of the book delves into a comparative analysis of Racine and Shakespeare, discussing the historical and cultural contexts that affect their respective receptions in France and England. Strachey introduces Mr. John Bailey's critique of Racine, positioning it against the praise from French critics like M. Lemaître, showcasing how national tastes shape the understanding of literary greatness. He outlines the differences in literary traditions and their impact on how characters and styles are perceived. By addressing these themes from the outset, Strachey sets the stage for a more profound exploration of literary styles and their significance, illustrating the intricacies involved in appreciating poetry and drama across cultures. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 62.3 (8th & 9th grade). Neither easy nor difficult to read. en French literature -- History and criticism English literature -- History and criticism Authors, English -- Biography Authors, French -- Biography PN Text Category: Essays, Letters & Speeches Category: French Literature Category: British Literature 598787 2025-08-05T15:43:21.616662 text/html 524576 2024-10-28T19:34:17 text/html 295495 2025-08-05T15:43:32.149649 application/epub+zip 306190 2025-08-05T15:43:25.267676 application/epub+zip 295052 2025-08-05T15:43:23.650679 application/epub+zip 582586 2025-08-05T15:43:37.293609 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 545098 2025-08-05T15:43:31.195601 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 525168 2022-09-06T20:59:03.910185 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 496012 2025-08-05T15:43:20.188654 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 476219 2024-10-28T19:34:17 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 17867 2025-08-05T15:43:37.908576 application/rdf+xml 16989 2025-08-05T15:43:24.194661 image/jpeg 3978 2025-08-05T15:43:23.920650 image/jpeg 288144 2025-08-05T15:43:21.660673 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia