Adolphus William Ward

Name: The Cambridge History of English Literature
Author: Adolphus William Ward

The Cambridge History of English Literature

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“The Cambridge History of English Literature”, is a work by Adolphus William Ward. It explores elements such as editors, literature and bibliographies.

Quotes from The Cambridge History of English Literature (Adolphus William Ward)

Adolphus William Ward, The Cambridge History of English Literature

“ In an enquiry embracing the history of motives, causes, and ends, it is often far less important to dwell on “leading” personalities and on the main tendencies of literary production, than to consider subsidiary movements and writers below the highest rank, and to trace, in apparently arid periods, processes which were often carried on, as it were, underground, or seemed to be such as could safely be ignored. It cannot be too often urged that there are few, if any, isolated phenomena; the voices may be voices crying in the wilderness, but they belong to those who prepare the way. ”

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Source: Wikisource

Adolphus William Ward, The Cambridge History of English Literature

“ With regard to future volumes—since the history of a nation’s literature cannot be divorced from some consideration of its political, religious, and social life, including its manners as well as its phases of sentiment and fashion, its trivial thoughts no less than its serious moments—the editors have thought it well to make some provision for treating certain subjects more or less closely allied to literature pure or proper. ”

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Source: Wikisource

Adolphus William Ward, The Cambridge History of English Literature

“ To force an account of literary, educational, or scientific movements into chronological shackles, and make it keep step year by year with the progress of external events, or to present it as an orderly development when its edges are, in truth, woefully ragged, is not always either possible or desirable. From time to time, buried treasure comes to light; things seemingly of a day suddenly reveal the strength that is in them and become things for all time ”

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Source: Wikisource

Adolphus William Ward, The Cambridge History of English Literature

“ To attempt an exhaustive treatment of any one writer, however eminent or however insignificant, to supply analyses of well-known books which are, or should be, on the same shelves as those which may hold these volumes, or to devote much space to the repetition of biographical facts—all this has seemed to lie outside the scope of the present work. ”

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Source: Wikisource

Adolphus William Ward, The Cambridge History of English Literature

“ While, therefore, anxious that not less than justice shall be dealt out to the works of betterknown writers, the editors have tried so to plan these volumes that something more than the mere justice with which works designed on a smaller scale have had to content themselves may be given to less known writers and to so-called fugitive literature.
In the interest both of the general reader and of the student, it has been decided to insert footnotes below the text, where references seem required. These have been kept as brief as possible, in order that they may not distract attention. ”

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Source: Wikisource

Adolphus William Ward, The Cambridge History of English Literature

“ Though the editors are jointly responsible for the work as a whole—both text and bibliographies—it is obvious that an undertaking of this nature could no more be accomplished by one or two men than the Cambridge Modern History could have been written by a few hands. ”

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Source: Wikisource

Adolphus William Ward, The Cambridge History of English Literature

“ They venture, therefore, to remind their critics, to whom they confidently look for an indication of mistakes, that some of the subjects which may seem to have been omitted may prove to have been deliberately reserved for later treatment. ”

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Source: Wikisource

Adolphus William Ward, The Cambridge History of English Literature

“ This twofold assistance the editors have been fortunate enough to secure for the volumes already in immediate preparation. In addition to chapters written by English scholars, from without Cambridge as well as from within, the readers of the Cambridge History of English Literature will have the benefit of contributions from specialists of other countries; and it is the sincere hope of the editors that they may enjoy the same generous support until their task is done. ”

Adolphus William Ward

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