If there is anything which should make an American sick and disgusted at the literary taste of his country, and almost swerve his allegiance to his flag it is that controversy between Mark Twain
Historic Articles by Authors
Shakespeare Sucks! by Leo Tolstoy
Discover Leo Tolstoy’s scathing critique of William Shakespeare’s works. In this remarkable 1906 essay, one literary giant dismantles another
The Art of Fiction by Henry James
The Art of Fiction by Henry James: I should not have affixed so comprehensive a title to these few remarks, necessarily wanting in any completeness, upon a subject the full consideration of which would carry us far, did I not seem to discover a pretext
When I Met Oscar Oscar Wilde by W. B. Yeats
This is Yeats meeting Wilde is probably one of the biggest literary meetings in history, but we forget. Writers today don’t know what it means to read the greats sometimes.
MY PASSION FOR FERRIES by Walt Whitman
This is a wonderfully short piece written by Walt Whitman. Honestly the more you know about Whitman the more interesting this subject becomes. The essay was written in 1892. Living in Brooklyn or New York city from this time forward, my life, then, and still more the following years, was curiously identified with Fulton ferry,…
Twain’s Letter About Edgar Allan Poe and Jane Austen
Twain’s candid letter to Howells reveals his sharp literary opinions on Poe and Austen, showcasing his iconic wit and irreverent humor.
Of Beauty by Francis Bacon
VIRTUE is like a rich stone, best plain set; and surely virtue is best, in a body that is comely, though not of delicate features; and that hath rather dignity of presence, than beauty of aspect. Neither is it almost seen, that very beautiful persons are otherwise of great virtue; as if nature were rather…
The Poetry of Ezra Pound by T. S. Eliot
“All talk on modern poetry, by people who know,” wrote Mr. Carl Sandburg in Poetry, “ends with dragging in Ezra Pound somewhere. He may be named only to be cursed as wanton and mocker, poseur, trifler and vagrant.
My Visit with Ralph Waldo Emerson by Walt Whitman
Whitman records their last meeting in journal entries are below. They are fascinating if you are a fan of American poetry. On September 17, 1881 Whitman goes to see Emerson.
Mark Twain Plagiarized Oliver Wendell Holmes
Once again we have found a quip from Twain that we feel needs to be highlighted in the pages of history. Twain is one of our favorite writers, especially when it comes to writing about writing.
Art and Nature in Poetry by Lord Byron
The beautiful but barren Hymettus—the whole coast of Attica, her hills and mountains, Pentelicus, Anchesmus, Philopappus, etc., etc.—are in themselves poetical, and would be so if the name of Athens, of Athenians, and her very ruins, were swept from the earth. But am I to be told that the “nature” of Attica would be more…
The Late Great Edgar Allan Poe by Willa Cather
The Shakespeare society of New York, which is really about the only useful literary organization in this country, is making vigorous efforts to redress an old wrong and atone for a long neglect. Sunday, Sept. 22, it held a meeting at the Poe cottage
Death of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow by Walt Whitman
I have just return’d from an old forest haunt, where I love to go occasionally away from parlors, pavements, and the newspapers and magazines—and where, of a clear forenoon, deep in the shade of pines and cedars and
Walk At Night With Charles Dickens
In 1857 Dickens is believe to have taken these walks. He walked the streets of London at 2 O’clock in the morning. It is said that he had a lot of turmoil in his life at this time. The look at the streets of London in those early days is fascinating. The night streets…
What it Takes to Write a Novel by Robert Louis Stevenson
This essay is a fascinating piece of writing that takes a look, by one of histories great authors, at what it takes to write a novel. Robert Louis Stevenson of course wrote 12 novels over his life time. He wrote the great novels Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and Treasure Island….