: Halleck's New English Literature by Halleck Reuben Post - English literature History and criticism

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INTRODUCTION--LITERARY ENGLAND

CHAPTERS:

INDEX

NEW ENGLISH LITERATURE

INTRODUCTION

LITERARY ENGLAND

Some knowledge of the homes and haunts of English authors is necessary for an understanding of their work. We feel in much closer touch with Shakespeare after merely reading about Stratford-on-Avon; but we seem to share his experiences when we actually walk from Stratford-on-Avon to Shottery and Warwick. The scenery and life of the Lake Country are reflected in Wordsworth's poetry. Ayr and the surrounding country throw a flood of light on the work of Burns. The streets of London are a commentary on the novels of Dickens. A journey to Canterbury aids us in recreating the life of Chaucer's Pilgrims.

Much may be learned from a study of literary England. Whether one does or does not travel, such study is necessary. Those who hope at some time to visit England should acquire in advance as much knowledge as possible about the literary associations of the places to be visited; for when the opportunity for the trip finally comes, there is usually insufficient time for such preparation as will enable the traveler to derive the greatest enjoyment from a visit to the literary centers in which Great Britain abounds.

"All down the thundering shores of Bude and Bos, There came a day as still as heaven, and then They found a naked child upon the sands Of dark Tintagil by the Cornish sea, And that was Arthur."

Next, the traveler may go by coach to Bude and to unique Clovelly and Bideford , by rail to Ilfracombe, by coach to Lynton , and the adjacent Lynmouth , by coach to Minehead, by rail to Watchet, driving past Alfoxden to Nether-Stowey and the Quantock Hills, by motor and rail to Glastonbury , by rail to Wells , to Bath , to Bristol , to Gloucester , and to Ross, the starting point for a remarkable all day's row down the river Wye to Tintern Abbey , stopping for dinner at Monmouth .

After a start similar to the foregoing, the traveler should begin to make an itinerary of his own. He will enjoy a trip more if he has a share in planning it. From Tintern Abbey he might proceed, for instance, to Stratford-on-Avon ; then to Warwick, Kenilworth, and the George Eliot Country in North Warwickshire and Staffordshire.

Far natural beauty, there is nothing in England that is more delightful than a coaching trip through Wordsworth's Lake Country . From there it is not far to the Carlyle Country , to the Burns Country , and to the Scott Country . In Edinburgh, William Sharp's statement about Stevenson should be remembered, "One can, in a word, outline Stevenson's own country as all the region that on a clear day one may in the heart of Edinburgh descry from the Castle walls."

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