Essays in the Art of Writing

e tendency at first was to rank him too high, owing to the undeniable charm of many of the poems in the Child's Garden of Verses. The child's view of the world, as set forth in th

ius; for his greatness as a prose writer h

ere are laws that govern the stage which must be obeyed; play-writing is a great art in itself, entirely distinct from literary composition. Even Bro

ading English Literature. They are exquisite works of art, written in an almost impeccable style. By many judicious readers, they are placed above his works of fiction. They certainly constitute the most original portion of his entire literary output. It is astonishing that this young Scotchman should have been able to make so many actually new observations on a game so old as Life. There is a shrewd insight into the motives of

ly exciting incidents, and yet reveal profound and acute analysis of character, and be written with consummate art. His tales have all the fertility

ne-legged man so formidable that even the reader is afraid of them. Those who complain that this is merely a pirate story forget that in art the subject is of comparatively little importance, whereas the treatment is eve