Excerpt from Literary Studies From the Great British Authors The design of this book is to encourage an acquaintance with the masters of English Literature. To this end the compiler has attempted to present specimens which fairly represent the versatility of the authors, and which illustrate the peculiarities of their several styles. It is, of course, impossible to present dramas, epics, histories, and essays in their entirety, but wher ever possible the endeavor has been made to offer some entire poem of the writer. It is hoped that any student of any age may be enabled by the use of this book to begin an acquaint ance with the authors, and be led by his interest to use the Index as direction for further reading. An attempt has been made to present authorized texts and through the Glossary to supply such explanations as are not accessible through Webster's Unabridged; on the other hand, it has been considered injurious to explain what the student may easily ascertain for himself without access to any library, but a dictionary. The compiler has, in his capacity of instructor, been made very familiar with What is ordinarily attainable with young students, and has been guided in his selections and glossary by this experience. In the case of writers like Swift, Shelley, and Byron, certain characteristic selections are excluded by the fact that coarseness, immature views, and sensuality should not be emphasized even when among the qualities of an author. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.