Project Gutenberg 2005-07-01 Public domain in the USA. 242 Lowell, James Russell 1819 1891 Wilbur, Homer Meliboeus-Hipponax Among My Books. First Series Dryden -- Witchcraft -- Shakespeare once more -- New England two centuries ago -- Lessing -- Rousseau and the sentimentalists. Produced by Ted Garvin, Thomas Berger and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team "Among My Books. First Series" by James Russell Lowell is a collection of literary essays written in the mid-19th century. The essays discuss various writers and themes, exploring the relationship between literature and culture, particularly focusing on English poets like John Dryden and William Wordsworth, while also touching on figures such as Rousseau and Shakespeare. The text serves as a reflective commentary on the literary landscape of Lowell's time, revealing insights into both the authors' works and the evolution of literary criticism. The opening of this collection introduces the theme of memory and learning through literature. Lowell employs a metaphor from Benvenuto Cellini to illustrate how painful experiences can mark our memories, challenging the notion of learning through pleasure alone. He then transitions into an analysis of Dryden's impact on English poetry, discussing the historical context of his works, the stylistic variations among poets, and the significance of maintaining literary standards. Throughout, Lowell reflects on the tension between classical influences and modern innovation, setting the groundwork for a deeper exploration of the writers featured in the series. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 60.8 (8th & 9th grade). Neither easy nor difficult to read. en New England -- Social life and customs Rousseau, Jean-Jacques, 1712-1778 Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616 -- Criticism and interpretation Witchcraft Dryden, John, 1631-1700 Lessing, Gotthold Ephraim, 1729-1781 PS Text Category: Essays, Letters & Speeches Category: American Literature 793572 2025-08-04T06:12:41.432149 text/html 793393 2025-01-11T21:11:46.906967 text/html 399491 2025-08-04T06:12:51.448060 application/epub+zip 409777 2025-08-04T06:12:44.613104 application/epub+zip 387244 2025-08-04T06:12:43.405090 application/epub+zip 669073 2025-08-04T06:12:56.986057 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 637859 2025-08-04T06:12:50.669047 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 601219 2022-09-04T10:43:43.264789 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 750207 2025-08-04T06:12:40.868103 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 750236 2014-09-24T19:25:26 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 750270 2014-09-24T19:25:20 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 20605 2025-08-04T06:12:57.142024 application/rdf+xml 14075 2025-08-04T06:12:43.896112 image/jpeg 3414 2025-08-04T06:12:43.652097 image/jpeg 304599 2014-09-24T19:28:06 application/octet-stream application/zip 304272 2014-09-24T19:28:06 application/octet-stream application/zip 397401 2025-08-04T06:12:41.496088 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