Contains writings about John Donne from 1873 to 1923, including Henry Morley, Edmund Gosse, W.F. Collier, Rudyard Kipling, Charles Eliot Norton, Henry Augustin Beers, Thomas Hardy, W.B. Yeats, Ezra Pound, T.S. Eliot, and many others.
Together these works present a record of how, from the nineteenth century onwards, critics viewed Donne, and how he became part of today's literary canon.

eBook available with sample pages: 0203416929

English metaphysical poetry, from Donne to Marvell, is notoriously witty. A. J. Smith seeks the reason for the central importance of wit in the thinking of the metaphysical poets, and argues that metaphysical wit is essentially different from other modes of wit current in Renaissance Europe. Formal theories and rhetorics of wit are considered both for their theoretical import and their appraisals of wit in practice. Prevailing fashions of witty invention are scrutinised in Italian, French and Spanish writings, so as to bring out the nature and effect of various forms of wit: conceited, hieroglyphic, transformational, and others from which the metaphysical mode is distinguished. He locates the basis of Renaissance wit in the received conception of the created order and a theory of literary innovation inherent in Humanist belief, which led to novel couplings of time and eternity, body and soul, man and God. Yet he finds that metaphysical wit distinctively works to discover a spiritual presence in sensible events; and he traces its demise in the 1660s to changes in the understanding of the natural world associated with the rise of empirical science.

Contains writings about John Donne from 1873 to 1923, including Henry Morley, Edmund Gosse, W.F. Collier, Rudyard Kipling, Charles Eliot Norton, Henry Augustin Beers, Thomas Hardy, W.B. Yeats, Ezra Pound, T.S. Eliot, and many others.
Together these works present a record of how, from the nineteenth century onwards, critics viewed Donne, and how he became part of today's literary canon.

'Best described as George R.R. Martin meets H.P. Lovecraft, The Glass Breaks is a fine example of British fantasy writing at its most entertaining' Guardian. A man of the Dawn Claw will be the Always King. It will ever be so. They will always rule... but they will not always lead. Prince Oliver Dawn Claw, heir to the Kingdom of the Four Claws, is thrust into a world he doesn't understand as he waits for his father to die. Away from home, with few allies, and too many enemies, he faces a new and otherworldly threat to the Eastron from beneath the sea. Alliances break and masks fall, as the Dark Brethren reveal their true master. Meanwhile, Adeline Brand, called the Alpha Wolf, refuses to wait, and becomes the edge of the sword that swings back at the Dreaming God. Assembling allies and crushing resistance, she enters a fight she doesn't know if she can win, as the sea begins to rise.

These volumes gather together a body of critical sources on the major figures in literature. Each volume presents contemporary responses to a writer's work, enabling students and researchers to read for themselves, for example, comments on early performances of Shakespeare's plays, or reactions to the first publication of Jane Austen's novels. The selected sources range from important essays in the history of criticism to journalism and contemporary opinion, and documentary material such as letters and diaries. Significant pieces of criticism from later periods are also included, in order to demonstrate the fluctuations in an author's reputation. Each volume contains an introduction to the writer's published works, a selected bibliography, and an index of works, authors and subjects.

The Critical Heritage gathers together a large body of critical sources on major figures in literature. Each volume presents contemporary responses on a writer's work, enabling student and researcher to read the material themselves.

English metaphysical poetry, from Donne to Marvell, is conspicuously witty. A. J. Smith seeks the central importance of wit in the thinking of the metaphysical poets, and argues that metaphysical wit is essentially different from other modes of wit current in Renaissance Europe. Formal theories and rhetorics of wit are considered both for their theoretical import and their appraisals of wit in practice. Prevailing fashions of witty invention are scrutinized in Italian, French, and Spanish writings, so as to bring out the nature and effect of various forms of wit: conceited, hieroglyphic, transformational, and others from which the metaphysical mode is distinguished. He locates the basis of Renaissance wit in the received conception of the created order and a theory of literary innovation inherent in Humanist belief, which led to novel couplings of time and eternity, body and soul, man and God. Yet, he finds that metaphysical wit distinctively works to discover a spiritual presence in sensible events; and he traces its demise in the 1660s to changes in the understanding of the natural world associated with the rise of empirical science.

This book describes and illustrates in detail the 760 species of mosses currently known to occur in the British Isles and incorporates the most up-to-date information available on classification and nomenclature, together with recent synonyms. The species descriptions provide information on frequency, ecology, geographical relationships and distribution, including information on protected species and those species at risk. For many species there are footnotes to aid identification. In addition to the species descriptions there are descriptions of families and genera and also introductory information on conservation, collection, preservation and examination of material, together with advice on using the keys. An artificial key to genera provides the only workable comprehensive key published in the English language. This second edition incorporates the very considerable advances in our knowledge of mosses made in the last quarter of the twentieth century and will provide a unique resource for all concerned with these fascinating organisms.

'Best described as George R.R. Martin meets H.P. Lovecraft, The Glass Breaks is a fine example of British fantasy writing at its most entertaining' Guardian. A man of the Dawn Claw will be the Always King. It will ever be so. They will always rule... but they will not always lead. Prince Oliver Dawn Claw, heir to the Kingdom of the Four Claws, is thrust into a world he doesn't understand as he waits for his father to die. Away from home, with few allies, and too many enemies, he faces a new and otherworldly threat to the Eastron from beneath the sea. Alliances break and masks fall, as the Dark Brethren reveal their true master. Meanwhile, Adeline Brand, called the Alpha Wolf, refuses to wait, and becomes the edge of the sword that swings back at the Dreaming God. Assembling allies and crushing resistance, she enters a fight she doesn't know if she can win, as the sea begins to rise.

The epic conclusion to a new trilogy from one of the most exciting voices in British fantasy. The glass breaks, the sword falls, the sea rises. Lord Marius Cyclone faces an unimaginable danger. The mighty legions of Santago Cyclone - known as the Bloodied Harp - and King Oliver Dawn Claw will be upon the Dark Harbour in less than a day, and truce seems impossible, even as the end of the world of Form creeps ever nearer. But the tide waits for no man. Marius has only one choice if his people are to survive: flight, into the Void. Meanwhile, a primal power awakens. The Sunken God has lived through many ages; watched countless civilisations rise and fall. And he will not let his quarry flee without a fight. Praise for The Glass Breaks: 'Best described as George R.R. Martin meets H.P. Lovecraft, The Glass Breaks is a fine example of British fantasy writing at its most entertaining' Guardian

Seventeen-year-old Duncan Greenfire is alive.

Three hours ago, he was chained to the rocks and submerged as the incoming tide washed over his head. Now the waters are receding and Duncan's continued survival has completed his initiation as a Sea Wolf.

It is the 167th year of the Dark Age. The Sea Wolves and their Eastron kin can break the glass and step into the void, slipping from the real world and reappearing wherever they wish. Wielding their power, they conquered the native Pure Ones and established their own Kingdom.

The Sea Wolves glory in piracy and slaughter. Their rule is absolute, but young Duncan Greenfire and duellist Adeline Brand will discover a conspiracy to end their dominion, a conspiracy to shatter the glass that separates the worlds of Form and Void and unleash a primeval chaos across the world.

'Epic fantasy at its scary, fun, sarcastic, shock-laden best' THE BOOKBAG.

Between the desert plains of Karesia and the icy wastes of Ranen, there once lay the kingdom of Ro. Its lands were fertile. Its men and women were prosperous. Their god - the One - was satisfied. But then the men of Ro grew unwatchful, and the armies of the south took their chance. Now the Seven Sisters rule the Kingdom, enslaving their people with sorcery of pleasure and blood. Soon, they will appoint a new god. The Long War rumbles on ... but the Red Prince has yet to enter the field of battle. ALL THAT WAS DEAD WILL RISE. ALL THAT NOW LIVES WILL FALL...

The Duke of Canarn is dead, executed by the King's decree. The city lies in chaos, its people starving, sickening, and tyrannized by the ongoing presence of the King's mercenary army. But still hope remains: the Duke's children, the Lord Bromvy and Lady Bronwyn, have escaped their father's fate. Separated by enemy territory, hunted by the warrior clerics of the One God, Bromvy undertakes to win back the city with the help of the secretive outcasts of the Darkwald forest, the Dokkalfar. The Lady Bronwyn makes for the sanctuary of the Grass Sea and the warriors of Ranen with the mass of the King's forces at her heels. And in the mountainous region of Fjorlan, the High Thain Algenon Teardrop launches his Dragon Fleet against the Red Army.

A very funny and easy-to-read story about how being a REAL dinosaur means just being yourself! Tyra has a tutu. Tops plays the trumpet. They're not like other dinosaurs. Most dinosaurs like to rage and roar. But Tyra and Tops think raging and roaring is, well, boring! They'd rather have a tea party instead, and the other dinosaurs are invited! It doesn't go so well at first, but by the time the broken teacups are cleaned up, everyone realizes that there's no right or wrong way to be a dinosaur. A hilarious story that's perfect for dinosaur lovers, new readers, and fans of Mo Willems.

The epic conclusion to a new trilogy from one of the most exciting voices in British fantasy. The glass breaks, the sword falls, the sea rises. Lord Marius Cyclone faces an unimaginable danger. The mighty legions of Santago Cyclone - known as the Bloodied Harp - and King Oliver Dawn Claw will be upon the Dark Harbour in less than a day, and truce seems impossible, even as the end of the world of Form creeps ever nearer. But the tide waits for no man. Marius has only one choice if his people are to survive: flight, into the Void. Meanwhile, a primal power awakens. The Sunken God has lived through many ages; watched countless civilisations rise and fall. And he will not let his quarry flee without a fight. Praise for The Glass Breaks: 'Best described as George R.R. Martin meets H.P. Lovecraft, The Glass Breaks is a fine example of British fantasy writing at its most entertaining' Guardian