Project Gutenberg 2025-05-15 Public domain in the USA. 279 Cody, Sherwin 1868 1959 The art of writing & speaking the English language : $b How to read and what to read The art of writing and speaking the English language : How to read and what to read $aChicago :$bThe Old Greek Press, $c1905. Preface -- General introduction to the study of literature -- What constitutes a good poem? -- What constitutes a good essay? -- What constitutes a good novel? -- Landmarks in modern literature -- The best poetry and how to read it -- How to study Shakspere -- The best English essays -- Old novels that are good -- The romantic novelists: Scott, Hugo, Dumas -- The realistic novelists: Dickens, Thackeray, Balzac -- The short story: Poe, Hawthorne, Maupassant -- Classic stories for young people. Aaron Adrignola, Laura Natal and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive) "The art of writing & speaking the English language : How to read and what to…." by Sherwin Cody is a guidebook on reading and literature written in the early 20th century. It aims to help the average reader choose, enjoy, and judge “the best” books efficiently, emphasizing pleasure, usefulness, and clear standards. The volume explains what makes poetry, essays, and novels good, and offers selective, practical recommendations (including how to approach Shakespeare) rather than long lists. The opening of the book states its purpose: to guide busy, non-scholarly readers toward interesting, inspiring works and away from dutiful but lifeless “classics,” proposing three tests for literature—beauty, truth, and nobility—plus a balanced view of amusement as true recreation. It illustrates poetry’s aims through close readings (Tennyson for pure beauty, Shelley for beauty with thought, Longfellow for moral uplift, Browning for intellectual courage, Wordsworth for the union of all three). It defines the essay’s appeal—rhythmical prose, suggestive imagery, and especially humour as a health-giving corrective—showcased by a lively Lamb letter; then traces the novel from epic and stage to the modern, conversational “tavern tale,” laying out what makes a good novelist (sincerity, friend-like tone, characters proved by action) and comparing major figures (Shakespeare, Balzac, Thackeray, Dickens, Scott). A concise timeline of “landmarks” maps the Romantic and Realist movements in Britain and key American contributions (Irving, Poe, Longfellow, Hawthorne, etc.). Practical how-to sections follow: a method for reading poetry (start with a few beloved pieces; Longfellow as an entry, then Tennyson and Browning; selective lists across poets) and an accessible plan for studying Shakespeare (see performances when possible, then read selected plays—Merchant of Venice, Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, Lear, Othello, Macbeth, key comedies and histories—and the sonnets). The final lines begin a survey of great essayists (Bacon, Addison, Swift), signaling the next phase of the guide. (This is an automatically generated summary.) https://archive.org/details/howtoreadandwha00codygoog/ 20240611061131cody 1905 us Reading ease score: 67.5 (8th & 9th grade). Neither easy nor difficult to read. en Books and reading Literature -- History and criticism Z Text Category: How To ... Category: Language & Communication Category: Teaching & Education 249563 2025-07-30T06:41:03.788097 text/html 222902 2025-05-15T07:46:10 text/html 456892 2025-07-30T06:41:09.271990 application/epub+zip 459117 2025-07-30T06:41:05.290141 application/epub+zip 226230 2025-07-30T06:41:04.452023 application/epub+zip 894281 2025-07-30T06:41:12.208976 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 874839 2025-07-30T06:41:08.605996 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 210137 2025-07-30T06:41:03.248094 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 190099 2025-05-15T07:46:10 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 14746 2025-07-30T06:41:12.372987 application/rdf+xml 12536 2025-07-30T06:41:04.738051 image/jpeg 1763 2025-07-30T06:41:04.610041 image/jpeg 678555 2025-07-30T06:41:03.823044 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