Talks on the study of literature.

The lectures begin by defining literature and clarifying literary expression, then address practical methods of study, common misunderstandings, and the nature of literary language, including its intangible qualities. The author argues that literature furnishes knowledge of life by mapping human emotions, providing sympathy, and revealing possibilities of feeling, and examines the roles of classics and contemporary writing in that inventory. Separate chapters consider fiction and poetry, their relations to life, and the texture and techniques that make poetic language effective. Throughout, guidance is offered for reading critically and sympathetically to deepen understanding and moral and aesthetic perception.