Project Gutenberg 2004-07-01 Public domain in the USA. 126 Canby, Henry Seidel 1878 1961 Definitions: Essays in Contemporary Criticism [First Series] Produced by Ralph Zimmerman, Juliet Sutherland, Charles Franks and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team "Definitions: Essays in Contemporary Criticism [First Series]" by Henry Seidel Canby is a collection of critical essays written in the early 20th century. In this work, Canby explores the multifaceted nature of contemporary literature, especially how it intertwines with American culture and social dynamics. His essays aim to dissect various genres and themes, providing insights into how sentimentality, idealism, and the societal backdrop influence both writers and readers in the realm of fiction. At the start of the collection, Canby elaborates on the nature of American literature, particularly its inclination toward sentimentality. He contrasts the pragmatic and often hard nature of American life with the preference for emotionally charged, soft literature that tends to idealize its characters and plots. Canby critiques this tendency, suggesting that while sentiment and idealism are inherent to the American psyche, they often lead to a detachment from reality in storytelling. He sets the stage for an examination of the influences shaping fiction, including cultural conditioning, societal expectations, and the aspirations served by popular narratives, marking a critical pathway through which readers can deepen their understanding of the literary landscape of their time. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 57.6 (10th to 12th grade). Somewhat difficult to read. en Criticism American literature -- 20th century -- History and criticism English fiction -- History and criticism PS Text Category: Essays, Letters & Speeches Category: American Literature 468888 2025-07-03T06:32:13.001591 text/html 468709 2025-01-09T21:51:40.932509 text/html 276518 2025-07-03T06:32:21.101614 application/epub+zip 282949 2025-07-03T06:32:16.644588 application/epub+zip 255586 2025-07-03T06:32:15.396621 application/epub+zip 598287 2025-07-03T06:32:24.723554 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 566714 2025-07-03T06:32:20.290569 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 395503 2022-09-03T10:23:34.018897 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 444994 2025-07-03T06:32:12.662628 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 439746 2020-12-29T10:40:36 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 17830 2025-07-03T06:32:24.847531 application/rdf+xml 25526 2025-07-03T06:32:15.882594 image/jpeg 4739 2025-07-03T06:32:15.639589 image/jpeg 171389 2020-12-29T10:40:36 application/octet-stream application/zip 277290 2025-07-03T06:32:13.045616 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