Examines within Laurence Sterne's "Tristram Shandy" two representative orientations (reasons and experience) as indices of popular attitudes about the rhetorical arts during the eighteenth century. Argues that, as a satire on rhetorical pretensions and excess, this novel is an important document in the venerable battle between the…

Surveys research on children's literature and humor by professionals in the field. Presents an overview of pre-twentieth century books which indicate the main lines of development of humor in children's literature. (FMW)

Suggests that the poetry and the life of Aphra Behn illumines the dynamic of a fascinating transitional period in definitions of gender and sexuality; and that she was the true pioneer of this brave new world of sexual possibility in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. (RS)

This resource book provides 26 learning activities with background materials for teaching about the Enlightenment. Topics include: (1) "What Was the Enlightenment?"; (2) "An Introduction to the Philosophes"; (3) "Was the Enlightenment a Revolt Against Rationalism?"; (4) "Were the Philosophes Democrats? A…

Produced on the hundredth anniversary of "Pinocchio" in an attempt to draw a comparison of the books for children and young people produced between the end of the eighteenth and the end of the nineteenth centuries in various countries, this catalog, primarily in Italian, begins with a bilingual (Italian and English) discussion of children's…

These three volumes present a history of Canada in terms of writings significant in thought, form, and use of language and contribute to criticism by offering reasons for singling out those works regarded as best. The first two volumes are revisions of an earlier edition, while the third volume, devoted to the years 1960-1973, contains new…

The holdings of the Darton Collection, a special library of children's books published in England before 1850, are discussed. The collection, housed at Columbia University in New York City, includes childrens' games and illustrations as well as books. (PP)

Examines the 18th-century rhetorical convention of misogynist satire and how it shaped attitudes toward women speakers. Focuses not so much on the formal properties of the satire but on its convention and content as modes of insinuation. Surveys prominent journals, newspapers, magazines, and reviews of the period. (TB)

Now that senior high school English teachers are once more under pressure to teach literary masterpieces, they may find help in some of the practices of creative English teachers in the post-Sputnik era (1957-1963). Those practices worked. Not only did the kids meet great authors and their books, but the encounters were relatively painless. In…

Forty-seven essays from five centuries of writings on biography are contained in this book. Selections are arranged under the following headings: "Before 1700" (9 selections), "The Eighteenth Century" (5), "The Nineteenth Century" (11), "Early Twentieth Century" (14), and "Mid-Twentieth Century" (8). Authors range from Francis Bacon to Leon Edel.…

The depth and peculiar nature of America's radical tradition in literature stand as achievements deserving special attention and renewed emphasis as the bicentennial celebration of the American Revolution approaches. This extensive and varied tradition--including poems, stories, novels, essays, sermons, journals, and letters--extends from the…

Beginning with Thomas Jefferson's view of the black man as a victim in his "Notes on Virginia," this book studies the characterization of the Negro in pre-Civil War fiction (1776-1863). Traced are the stereotypes of the black in plantation fiction by George Tucker, James Paulding, John Kennedy, and Gilmore Simms--all of whom used the image of…

Notes that many literature students have disliked studying eighteenth century literature and reflects on the positive effect New Criticism has had on the teaching of it. Compares Kramnick's and Pocock's views with those of the New Criticism. (JC)

Reviews the use of humor in eighteenth- and nineteenth-century Black Creole Jamaican literature and song. Concludes that irony is inherent in the creative expression of early Jamaicans and writers about Jamaica, arising from inconsistencies of attitudes of Blacks toward Whites and toward themselves. (FMW)

The University of Warwick, England, will attempt to set up classical courses, particularly to unite the study of English Literature and Latin Literature. The article outlines the general syllabus for a three-year course of study. (CHK)