The Short Story in English |
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Common terms and phrases
Æsop American apologue artistic beauty beginning Bret Harte chapter character Chaucer climax collections color conte dévot contemporary criticism Decameron Dickens discourse discussion early effect eighteenth century Elizabethan England English Euphues Euphuism example excellent exempla exemplum fable fabliau fashion Fenton fiction French genius Gesta Romanorum Gower Hawthorne Hawthorne's Henry James Henryson humor imitation impressionistic impressionistic short story interesting intrigue Italian Italian novella James journalist Kipling Kipling's later Latin less literary literature Lyly Marjorie Daw medieval mid-century modern short story moral narra nature never novel novella Odo of Cheriton original Oroonoko pathos perfect period phrase plot Poe's poem poetry popular prose reader realism reflective stories renaissance rhetoric romance Rudyard Kipling short narrative short story situation sometimes Stevenson story-telling style success tale taste Tatler technique teller telling tion translation typical verse vivid writers written
Popular passages
Page 243 - A cloudy veil stretches over the abyss of my nature. I have; however, no love of secrecy and darkness. I am glad to think that God sees through my heart, and, if any angel has power to penetrate into it, he is welcome to know everything that is there. Yes, and so may any mortal who is capable of full sympathy, and therefore worthy to come into my depths. But he must find his own way there. I can neither guide nor enlighten him.
Page 233 - A poem, in my opinion, is opposed to a work of science by having, for its immediate object, pleasure, not truth ; to romance, by having for its object an indefinite instead of a definite pleasure, being a poem only so far as this object is attained ; romance presenting perceptible images with definite, poetry with indefinite sensations, to which end music is an essential, since the comprehension of sweet sound is our most indefinite conception.
Page 250 - Thus ever does the gross Fatality of Earth exult in its invariable triumph over the immortal essence, which, in this dim sphere of half-development, demands the completeness of a higher state. Yet, had Aylmer reached a profounder wisdom, he need not thus have flung away the happiness, which would have woven his mortal life of the self-same texture with the celestial. The momentary circumstance was too strong for him...
Page 249 - A person to be the death of his beloved in trying to raise her to more than mortal perfection ; yet this should be a comfort to him for having aimed so highly and holily.
Page 289 - Flat* and another), in which he had found such subtle strokes of character as he had not anywhere else in late years discovered ; the manner resembling himself, but the matter fresh to a degree that had surprised him ; the painting in all respects masterly, and the wild rude thing painted a quite wonderful reality. I have rarely known him more honestly moved."— FORSTHR'S LIFE OF DICKENS.
Page 167 - English translator, as well as beautified; the genius of our countrymen in general being rather to improve an invention than to invent themselves, as is evident not only in our poetry, but in many of our manufactures.
Page 168 - The king himself, to nuptial ties a slave, No bad example to his poets gave: And they, not bad, but in a vicious age, Had not, to please the prince, debauch'd the stage.
Page 154 - Novels are of a more familiar nature; Come near us, and represent to us Intrigues in practice, delight us with Accidents and odd Events, but not such as are wholly unusual or unpresidentcd, such which not being so distant from our Belief bring also the pleasure nearer us. Romances give more of Wonder, Novels more Delight.
Page 55 - It dulleth ofte a mannes wit To hem that shall it al day rede, For thilke cause, if that ye rede, I wolde go the middel wey And write a boke betwene the twey, Somwhat of lust, somwhat of lore, That of the lasse or of the more Som man may like of that I write.
Page 180 - ... if they can but get the relation from her own mouth. I should have told you before that Mrs. Veal told Mrs. Bargrave that her sister and brotherin-law were just come down from London to see her. Says Mrs. Bargrave, "How came you to order matters so strangely?" "It could not be helped,