Showing results for "brander matthews"

Brander Matthews, known for his contributions to American literature and drama criticism, provides readers with a literary tour of New York City through "Vistas of New York." The essays likely cover topics such as the city's skyline, neighborhoods, cultural institutions, and the daily life of its inhabitants. Matthews' writing style combines descriptive prose with insightful commentary, offering readers both a visual and intellectual exploration of the city."Vistas of New York" serves as a...

In 'Parts of Speech,' Brander Matthews masterfully navigates the intricacies of the English language, dissecting its fundamental elements with both precision and flair. The work is characterized by its engaging prose and analytical rigor, blending scholarly critique with accessible explanation. Matthews explores the nuances of grammar, punctuation, and syntax through a series of meticulously crafted essays that reflect the author's deep understanding of linguistic structure, placing the wo...

"Inquiries and Opinions" by Brander Matthews is a thought-provoking collection that delves into various aspects of literature, drama, and the art of storytelling. Matthews, a prominent figure in American literary criticism, offers insightful essays that reflect his deep understanding of the craft. His writing is characterized by a blend of wit and erudition, making complex ideas accessible to a broad audience. The book serves as a valuable resource for both aspiring writers and seasoned li...

Complete and unabridged, with 54 full-page plates by Winslow Homer, Albert Bierstadt and Thomas Cole. Manhattan in the 1890s in short takes - the elevated railway, the tenement roof, the club window, the boarding house - by a critic who watched his own city the way he watched the theater. Matthews wrote these as deliberate local color and they now read as documents. This edition is bound with 54 plates of painting, among them works by Albert Bierstadt, Winslow Homer and Thomas Cole, all on...

In Partnership brings together a chain of linked story-studies that move from legal mystery and frontier satire to romance, comedy, and quiet domestic longing. The opening papers in "The Documents in the Case" reconstruct the ruin of Sir William Beauvoir's son through debts, newspaper scandal, shipping notices, and pawn tickets, tracing his fall from English aristocrat to dissipated exile in America. Another thread follows the missing heir's trail westward through lawyers, telegrams, and t...

"Americanisms and Briticisms; with Other Essays on Other Isms" by Brander Matthews explores the nuances of language and cultural differences between American and British English. Matthews, a prominent literary figure, delves into the evolution of language, highlighting how regional variations reflect broader societal changes. His essays are insightful, offering readers a glimpse into the linguistic quirks that define American and British identities. Through humor and keen observation, Matt...

Mrs. Lora Delane Porter, that great woman, was condescending to argue with Herbert Nixon, a mere menial. The points under discussion were three:— (a) Why had Herbert been absent from duty between the hours of 3 p.m. and midnight on the previous day? (b) Why had he returned singing? (c) Why had he divested himself of his upper garments and stood for twenty minutes before the front door, daring the Kaiser to come out and have his head knocked off

Ballads of Books is a witty, affectionate anthology devoted not just to literature, but to books as cherished objects—rare, beautiful, worn, collected, borrowed, lost, and lovingly reread. From the opening "Ballade of the Bookworm," which recalls the lifelong enchantment of childhood reading, the volume gathers poems and brief pieces that celebrate libraries, old bindings, wide margins, forgotten authors, and the private pleasures of bibliomania. Its pages move from reverent portraits of t...

Brander Matthews surveys the literary and dramatic life of the early twentieth century with a critic's eye and a storyteller's sense of history. Opening with "Literature in the New Century," he asks how art will answer the pressures of modern life, tracing the lasting influence of the nineteenth century's scientific spirit, democracy, nationalism, and cosmopolitanism. Across the collection, he considers the relation of invention to imagination, the changing fate of fame, and the ways liter...

Brander Matthews opens this collection of stage studies with the voice of a lifelong playgoer and drama critic, setting out a clear creed: drama is a lasting art governed by enduring laws, yet always shaped by the practical conditions of actors, stages, and audiences. He argues that criticism is most valuable when it comes from artists who understand technique from within, and he insists that plays must be judged as living performances, not as literature in isolation. Across essays on dram...

The book consists of short pieces that capture various scenes and characters in Manhattan, New York City, during the late 19th century. Matthews employs local color and vivid descriptions to bring to life the bustling streets, diverse neighborhoods, and vibrant personalities that populated the city at that time.Each vignette in the collection offers a glimpse into different aspects of urban life, from the interactions of everyday New Yorkers to the contrasts between the city's different so...

Complete and unabridged, with 57 full-page plates by Edvard Munch, Piet Mondrian and Odilon Redon. Stories that step just past the ordinary - a kinetoscope that shows scenes from the past, two rival ghosts in one house - by a critic who helped invent the teaching of American literature in universities. Matthews wrote them for the magazines of the 1890s and kept the tone dry. This edition binds 57 plates of painting with the stories, among them Goya, Mesdag and Van Gogh, and restores and co...