3. =His life and immediate surroundings.= Equally significant are the social conditions in which a man is reared, whether noble, like Byron, or poor, like Burns; well-educated, like Macaulay, or self-taught, like Bunyan; unfortunate and dissipated, like Poe, or fortunate and happy, like Holmes. These facts all have a direct bearing on the view we must take of the man's productions. Joel Chandler Harris could never have written his amusing "Uncle Remus" stories, if he had not spent his boyhood on a Southern plantation. De Quincey would never have written "Our Ladies of Sorrow" if he had not been the slave of opium. Stevenson's "Travels With a Donkey," one of his most charming books, is due to the fact that his consumptive tendencies compelled him to go on a walking trip in the pure and bracing air of the mountains of southern France. II. A second group of facts deals with the work itself. 1. =The form=; poetry, fiction, history, essay, drama, etc. (These are discussed on p. 36 ff.) 2. =The style.= The worth of the author's work as a piece of composition is best decided by observing the following elements, which taken all together make up the style and quality of his writing. What =words= does he use? Are they commonplace or do they express his exact meaning? Are they simple, or unusual and even unintelligible? Are they forceful or weak? etc. How are his =sentences= constructed? Are they straightforward or confused? Do they express a simple, direct thought or do they contain several ideas? If complex and lengthy, are they still powerful? etc. Are his =paragraphs= unified; that is, do they contain one leading idea? Do they follow in systematic order, leading from one to the other? Is the development of the author's subject easily followed? etc. Are the =scenes= and =characters=, the =plots= and =purposes= clearly shown? Does it require more than one reading to find out what the writer is trying to say? Is his work convincing? Do the characters change, and if so, is the change natural or does it seem unreal and artificial? Are the incidents natural or do some of the events seem forced? If the latter, do you think the author is justified? What is the author's aim? Has he any further purpose than that which is immediately evident? etc. What is the =tone= of his work? Realism? Imagination? Mystery? Charm? Beauty? Accuracy? Delicacy? Pathos? Humor? Joy? Sarcasm? etc. 3. =The effect.= What are =your feelings= regarding the work? Do you like it or dislike it? Why?