The March of Literature: From Confucius' Day to Our OwnThis 900-page survey of world literature, From Confucius' Day to Our Own (as the subtitle reads), was the last book written by Ford Madox Ford, one of the seminal figures of the modernist period. Written for general readers rather than scholars and first published in 1938, The March of Literature is a working novelist's view of what is valuable in literature, and why. Convinced that scholars and teachers give a false sense of literature, Ford brings alive the pleasures of reading by writing about books he is passionate about. Beginning at the beginning--with ancient Egyptian and Chinese literature and the Bible--Ford works his way through classical literature, the writings of the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, continuing up to the major writers of his own day like Ezra Pound, Henry James, and Joseph Conrad. With his encyclopedic reading and expertise in the techniques of writing, Ford is a reliable and entertaining guide. Ford also includes a chapter on publishers and booksellers, noting the key roles they play in literature's existence. Novelist Alexander Theroux ( Darconville's Cat, An Adultery) has written an insightful introduction for this reissue, the first time this monumental book has been made available in paperback. |
Contents
Section 1 | 3 |
Section 2 | 17 |
Section 3 | 29 |
Section 4 | 54 |
Section 5 | 76 |
Section 6 | 103 |
Section 7 | 121 |
Section 8 | 163 |
Section 19 | 445 |
Section 20 | 471 |
Section 21 | 491 |
Section 22 | 512 |
Section 23 | 541 |
Section 24 | 564 |
Section 25 | 592 |
Section 26 | 622 |
Section 9 | 195 |
Section 10 | 223 |
Section 11 | 249 |
Section 12 | 281 |
Section 13 | 310 |
Section 14 | 328 |
Section 15 | 340 |
Section 16 | 374 |
Section 17 | 403 |
Section 18 | 423 |
Section 27 | 641 |
Section 28 | 664 |
Section 29 | 692 |
Section 30 | 719 |
Section 31 | 758 |
Section 32 | 780 |
Section 33 | 802 |
Section 34 | 851 |