Best of
British-Literature

1902

Selected Poems


Elizabeth Barrett Browning - 1902
    The series is aimed at the general reader rather than the specialist and carries no critical or explanatory apparatus. This can be found elsewhere. In the series the poems introduce themselves, on an uncluttered page and in a format that is both attractive and convenient. The selections have been made by the distinguished poet, critic, and biographer Ian Hamilton.

Selected Poetry


Samuel Taylor Coleridge - 1902
    He is best known for his visionary poetry ('Kubla Khan') and his ballads ('The Rime of the Ancient Mariner'), but he used and transformed a variety of verse forms, from the sonnet to the conversation poem, on subjects as diverse as nature, love, and politics. This selection calls attention to the range of Coleridge's work, its strong autobiographical content,and its artistic development throughout his career. The old chronological form has been abandoned and the poems are organised according to genre, with each section displaying its own individual development in craft and theme.

The Four Feathers


A.E.W. Mason - 1902
    He immediately receives four white feathers—symbols of cowardice—one each from his three best friends and his fiancée. To disprove this grave dishonor, Harry dons an Arabian disguise and leaves for the Sudan, where he anonymously comes to the aid of his three friends, saving each of their lives.Having proved his bravery, Harry returns to England, hoping to regain the love and respect of his fiancée. This suspenseful tale movingly depicts a distinctive code of honor that was deeply valued and strongly promoted by the British during the height of their imperial power.

Typhoon and Other Tales


Joseph Conrad - 1902
    Typhoon, a story of a steamship and her crew beset by a tempest, is a masterpiece of descriptive virtuosity and moral irony, while The Secret Sharer excels in symbolic ambiguity. Both stories vividly present Conrad's abiding preoccupation with the theme of solidarity, challenged from without by the elements and from within by human doubts and fears. Conrad's experiences as a captain of the ship Otago in 1888 provided material for both The Secret Sharer and Falk. Amy Foster, written in 1901, is bleak and stark in its depiction of human isolation and incomprehension. In a range of tones extending from the sombre to the radiant, Conrad's central preoccupations are displayed at their best, strangest, and most plangent in this selection of stories.

Youth & The End of the Tether


Joseph Conrad - 1902
    In it he captures a young man's exhilaration in the face of danger and the unknown.THE END OF THE TETHER is of a different mold. Captain Whalley, aging but still afloat, compromises his principles without understanding what can follow. But life, like the sea, is unsparing, and the captain's fate arrives in due course, served up with Conrad's own brand of uncompromising logic.

A Welsh Witch


Allen Raine - 1902
    But Catrin's loneliness is eased by a growing friendship with Goronwy, with whom she shares her knowledge of the underground waterways of the 'Deep Stream' lying beneath Treswnd. Before he can fully appreciate her strength, however, he must undergo a shipwreck and a coal pit disaster in south Wales that leaves them trapped for days underground, 'along with the dead, the dying, and the frenzied around him,' while Catrin escapes the opprobrium of her neighbours by running away with Nancy Wood and her Welsh gipsy tribe.First published in 1902, A Welsh Witch parallels a superstitious fishing village and an early industrial community with its harsh working conditions, and explores the ways in which human resilience and empathy can make a 'romance of rough places'.

Twelve Types: A Collection of Mini-Biographies


G.K. Chesterton - 1902
    K. Chesterton's biographical essays provide unique portraits of 12 of Europe's most defining figures. Written by one of the world's master essayists, this collection richly expresses Chesterton's thoughts on Charlotte Brontë, William Morris, Byron, Pope, St. Francis of Assisi, Rostand, Charles II, Stevenson, Thomas Carlyle, Tolstoy, Savonarola, and Sir Walter Scott. The book is a perfect companion for any literature, politics, or history course dealing with European history. It is also an excellent addition to any personal or scholarly library.

The Life of Napoleon I


J. Holland Rose - 1902
    You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery.