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Outlines of English and American Literature: An Introduction to the Chief Writers of England and America, to the Books They Wrote, and to the Times in Which They LivedLong, William J. (William Joseph)

History

Outlines of English and American Literature: An Introduction to the Chief Writers of England and America, to the Books They Wrote, and to the Times in Which They Lived

Name: Outlines of English and American Literature: An Introduction to the Chief Writers of England and America, to the Books They Wrote, and to the Times in Which They Lived
Author: Long, William J. (William Joseph)

Long, William J. (William Joseph)

American literature -- History and criticism; English literature -- History and criticism

The evil influence in Burns's life may be only suggested. It leads
    first to the tavern, to roistering and dissipation, to
    entanglements in vulgar love affairs; then swiftly to the loss of a
    splendid poetic gift, to hopeless debts, to degrading poverty, to
    an untimely death. Burns had his chance, if ever poet had it, after
    the publication of his first book (the famous Kilmarnock edition of
    1786) when he was called in triumph to Edinburgh. There he sold
    another edition of his poems for a sum that seemed fabulous to a
    poor crofter; whereupon he bought a farm and married his Jean
    Armour. He was acclaimed throughout the length and breadth of his
    native land, his poems were read by the wise and by the ignorant,
    he was the poet of Scotland, and the nation, proud of its gifted
    son, stood ready to honor and follow him. But the old habits were
    too strong, and Burns took the downhill road. To this element of
    dissipation we owe his occasional bitterness, railing and
    coarseness, which make an expurgated edition of his poems essential
    to one who would enjoy the reading.

    [Illustration: THE VILLAGE OF TARBOLTON, NEAR WHICH BURNS LIVED
    WHEN ABOUT NINETEEN YEARS OLD]

    There is another element, often emphasized for its alleged
    influence on Burns's poetry. During his lifetime the political
    world was shaken by the American and French revolutions, democracy
    was in the air, and the watchwords "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity"
    inspired many a song besides the _Marseillaise_ and many a
    document besides the Declaration of Independence. That Burns was
    aware of this political commotion is true, but he was not much
    influenced by it. He was at home only in his own Scottish field,
    and even there his interests were limited,--not to be compared with
    those of Walter Scott, for example. When the Bastille was stormed,
    and the world stood aghast, Burns was too much engrossed in
    personal matters to be greatly moved by distant affairs in France.
    Not to the Revolution, therefore, but to his Scottish blood do we
    owe the thrilling "Scots Wha Hae," one of the world's best battle
    songs, not to the new spirit of democracy abroad but to the old
    Covenanter spirit at home do we owe "A Man's a Man for a' That"
    with its assertion of elemental manhood.

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

Opening the text

History

Outlines of English and American Literature: An Introduction to the Chief Writers of England and America, to the Books They Wrote, and to the Times in Which They Lived

Long, William J. (William Joseph)

American literature -- History and criticism; English literature -- History and criticism

The evil influence in Burns's life may be only suggested. It leads
    first to the tavern, to roistering and dissipation, to
    entanglements in vulgar love affairs; then swiftly to the loss of a
    splendid poetic gift, to hopeless debts, to degrading poverty, to
    an untimely death. Burns had his chance, if ever poet had it, after
    the publication of his first book (the famous Kilmarnock edition of
    1786) when he was called in triumph to Edinburgh. There he sold
    another edition of his poems for a sum that seemed fabulous to a
    poor crofter; whereupon he bought a farm and married his Jean
    Armour. He was acclaimed throughout the length and breadth of his
    native land, his poems were read by the wise and by the ignorant,
    he was the poet of Scotland, and the nation, proud of its gifted
    son, stood ready to honor and follow him. But the old habits were
    too strong, and Burns took the downhill road. To this element of
    dissipation we owe his occasional bitterness, railing and
    coarseness, which make an expurgated edition of his poems essential
    to one who would enjoy the reading.

    [Illustration: THE VILLAGE OF TARBOLTON, NEAR WHICH BURNS LIVED
    WHEN ABOUT NINETEEN YEARS OLD]

    There is another element, often emphasized for its alleged
    influence on Burns's poetry. During his lifetime the political
    world was shaken by the American and French revolutions, democracy
    was in the air, and the watchwords "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity"
    inspired many a song besides the _Marseillaise_ and many a
    document besides the Declaration of Independence. That Burns was
    aware of this political commotion is true, but he was not much
    influenced by it. He was at home only in his own Scottish field,
    and even there his interests were limited,--not to be compared with
    those of Walter Scott, for example. When the Bastille was stormed,
    and the world stood aghast, Burns was too much engrossed in
    personal matters to be greatly moved by distant affairs in France.
    Not to the Revolution, therefore, but to his Scottish blood do we
    owe the thrilling "Scots Wha Hae," one of the world's best battle
    songs, not to the new spirit of democracy abroad but to the old
    Covenanter spirit at home do we owe "A Man's a Man for a' That"
    with its assertion of elemental manhood.

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

Outlines of English and American Literature: An Introduction to the Chief Writers of England and America, to the Books They Wrote, and to the Times in Which They Lived

Outlines of English and American Literature: An Introduction to the Chief Writers of England and America, to the Books They Wrote, and to the Times in Which They Lived

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