¶ The references by page and line to the book under discussion are to the texts of the Gateway Series; but the Outlines can be used with any series of English classics.
¶ Certain brief plans of study are developed for the general teaching of the novel, narrative poetry, lyric poetry, the drama, and the essay. The suggestions are those of a practical teacher, and follow a definite scheme in each work to be studied. There are discussions of methods, topics for compositions, and questions for review. The lists of questions are by no means exhaustive, but those that are given are suggestive and typical.
¶ The appendix contains twenty examinations in English, for admission to college, recently set by different colleges in both the East and the West.
By REUBEN POST HALLECK, M.A. (Yale), Louisville Male High School. Price, $1.25
HALLECK'S HISTORY OF ENGLISH LITERATURE traces the development of that literature from the earliest times to the present in a concise, interesting, and stimulating manner. Although the subject is presented so clearly that it can be readily comprehended by high school pupils, the treatment is sufficiently philosophic and suggestive for any student beginning the study.
¶ The book is a history of literature, and not a mere collection of biographical sketches. Only enough of the facts of an author's life are given to make students interested in him as a personality, and to show how his environment affected his work. Each author's productions, their relations to the age, and the reasons why they hold a position in literature, receive adequate treatment.
¶ One of the most striking features of the work consists in the way in which literary movements are clearly outlined at the beginning of each chapter. Special attention is given to the essential qualities which differentiate one period from another, and to the animating spirit of each age. The author shows that each period has contributed something definite to the literature of England.
¶ At the end of each chapter a carefully prepared list of books is given to direct the student in studying the original works of the authors treated. He is told not only what to read, but also where to find it at the least cost. The book contains a special literary map of England in colors.