
Now in a more readable format, this sweeping collection ranges from the early 1600s through the 1980s and includes 140 essays by 120 of the finest writers in the history of the English language. John Gross, former book critic for The New York Times, has collected classics and rare gems, representative samples and personal favorites, intimate essays and learned, serious reflections and hysterically funny satire, by both British and American writers. The authors Gross has gathered form a gallery of genius, all indispensable masters of rhetoric, from Samuel Butler to Samuel Johnson, from George Eliot to George Bernard Shaw, from John Dryden to Ben Franklin, from E.B. White to Joan Didion. Including book reviews and travel sketches, history lessons and meditations, reflections on art and on potato chips, these essays sample four centuries of eloquence and insight in a collection that is at once immensely enlightening, edifying, and entertaining.
This collection investigates the evolution and breadth of the essay form in the English language over four centuries. John J. Gross, a former book critic for The New York Times, utilizes his extensive editorial background to curate a selection that highlights the versatility of the genre. By organizing these works chronologically and thematically, Gross argues that the essay serves as a primary vehicle for both intellectual rigor and personal expression across British and American literary traditions.
What You Will Find
Scope Limits
Critics and scholars frequently cite this volume as a comprehensive survey of the essayist tradition, noting the balance between canonical works and lesser-known pieces. Readers often highlight the accessibility of the prose, which makes the collection suitable for both academic study and casual reading.
Page Count:
704
Publication Date:
2002-05-16
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
ISBN-10:
0192840894
ISBN-13:
9780192840899
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