Letters to Dead Authors

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Lang, Andrew, 1844-1912

Language:

English

Physical Description:

1 online resource : multiple file formats

Place of Publication:

Salt Lake City, UT : Project Gutenberg,

Summary:

"Letters to Dead Authors" by Andrew Lang is a collection of imaginative epistles written in the late 19th century. In this work, Lang takes a unique approach by crafting letters addressed to various deceased literary figures, exploring their lives, works, and the impact they've had on literature and society. The collection includes letters to celebrated authors such as W. M. Thackeray, Charles Dickens, and Jane Austen, engaging in thoughtful literary criticism while infusing a playful tone. The opening of "Letters to Dead Authors" presents an introduction that sets the tone for the correspondence that follows. Lang dedicates the book to Miss Thackeray and explains that the letters have previously appeared in the "St. James's Gazette," with some revisions and additions. The first letter, addressed to Thackeray, humorously navigates the challenges of praising contemporary authors versus those who have passed. Lang admires Thackeray's multifaceted talent and reflects on the lasting influence of his works, simultaneously navigating critiques raised by others during Thackeray's career. This playful blend of tribute and critique suggests that readers can expect a witty yet profound exploration of literary giants as Lang pays homage to their legacies. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Contents:

To W.M. Thackeray

To Charles Dickens

To Piere de Ronsard

To Herodotus

Epistle to Mr. Alexander Pope

To Lucian of Samosata

To Maître Françoys Rabelais

To Jane Austen

To Master Isaak Walton

To M. Chapelain

To Sir John Manndeville, Kt.

To Alexandre Dumas

To Theocritus

To Edgar Allan Poe

To Sir Walter Scott, Bart.

To Eusebius of Caesarea

To Percy Bysshe Shelley

To Monsieur de Molière, valet de chambre du roi

To Robert Burns

To Lord Byron

To Omar Khayyám

To Q. Hortatius Flaccus.

Credits:

Transcribed from the 1886 Longmans, Green, and Co. edition by David Price

Notes:

Reading ease score: 72.5 (7th grade). Fairly easy to read.

Release date is 1998-10-01