The Ballad of Reading Gaol
The Ballad of Reading Gaol (gaol is the British spelling of jail) narrates the story of an execution that occurred while Oscar Wilde was imprisoned in the late 1890s. It does not attempt to...
Category: E2-Resources
Resources for Literature and Composition: English 2.
Robert Burns Poetry
Robert Burns (1759 – 1796), a Scottish poet and lyricist is not only the best known of the poets who have written in the Scots language, but he has long been considered the national...
Sir Walter Scott Poetry
Much of Sir Walter Scott’s poetry reflects the stories and themes of courage, justice, and romance found in his novels. Here are three of his shorter poems, “Lochinvar,” “Breathes There the Man,” and “Old...
Slavery in Massachusetts by Thoreau
Henry David Thoreau was a passionate abolitionist, and in this heartfelt speech he encourages his state to “dissolve her union with the slaveholder . . . and each inhabitant of the State dissolve his union...
On the Art of Fiction by Willa Cather
In her 1908 work, A Collection of Stories, Reviews and Essays, author Willa Cather (1873 – 1947) offers young writers some sage advice. On the Art of Fiction One is sometimes asked about the “obstacles”...
Alexandre Dumas biography
Alexandre Dumas, also known as Alexandre Dumas père, was a French author and playwright, best known for his historical adventure fiction. As one of France’s most widely read authors, his works have been translated into dozens...
A Poison Tree by William Blake
“A Poison Tree,” which explores the dangers of anger and revenge, was first published in Blake’s Songs of Experience in 1794. It has been set to music by Ralph Vaughan Williams in his Ten Blake...
Daniel Defoe Biography
Learn more about the life, character, and career of the 17th-century British author of Robinson Crusoe and other works in this Daniel Defoe biography.
Shakespeare Resources
Why do William Shakespeare’s plays still touch us today? This Renaissance playwright, poet, and actor had a unique way with words and a timeless grasp of human nature. His works are considered to be...
Joseph Conrad Biography
This Joseph Conrad biography comes from the Yale Modernism Lab, where you’ll find a wealth of resources about modernist writers in the years 1914-1926. You can view their original works and find out how...
T. S. Eliot Biography
This biography of T.S. Eliot comes from the Yale Modernism Lab, where you’ll find a wealth of resources about modernist writers in the years 1914-1926. You can view their original works and find out...
Ralph Waldo Emerson Biography
Biography of Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) by Dr. Ann Woodlief Ralph Waldo Emerson is truly the center of the American transcendental movement, setting out most of its ideas and values in a little book, Nature,...
C. S. Lewis Biography
British writer and scholar C.S Lewis (1898–1963) is the author of the Chronicles of Narnia, Till We Have Faces, Mere Christianity, and many scholarly works.
Henry David Thoreau Biography
Henry David Thoreau Biography by Dr. Ann Woodlief Henry David Thoreau was a complex man of many talents who worked hard to shape his craft and his life, seeing little difference between them. Born...
Bulfinch’s Mythology Tales
Bulfinch and Mythology Thomas Bulfinch was an American writer born on July 15, 1796 in Newton, Massachusetts. Bulfinch belonged to a well-educated merchant family, and he himself had an extensive classical education at such...
Julius Caesar Video Resources
Shakespeare was, of course, a master of the written word.It’s precisely because of this, though, that people forget that much of his work was originally meant to be performed, not merely read. Sometimes it...
Composers in Death Comes for the Archbishop
Among the composers mentioned in Willa Cather’s Death Comes for the Archbishop are Giuseppe Verdi, Johann Sebastian Bach, and Stephen Foster. Here are a few works of theirs to enjoy; your library may have other...
Heart of Darkness Opera
Heart of Darkness Opera Composer Tarik O’Regan has written a chamber opera based on Joseph Conrad’s novella, Heart of Darkness. Here is a video interview in which the composer discusses the process of creating...
Edward Lear Resources
Edward Lear Resources John Cousin tells us that Edward Lear (1812-1888) was an “artist and miscellaneous author [who was born] in London and settled in Rome as a landscape painter. He was an indefatigable...
The Owl and the Pussy-Cat by Edward Lear
One of the first poems I recite when trying to soothe a fussy infant is “The Owl and the Pussy-Cat,” a poem I memorized through endless readings when I was a child. Its rollicking...
John Dryden Biography
John Dryden Biography Family and education Early adult life Prolific playwright Poet Laureate Poetry and politics Religious matters Reversal of fortunes Life overview Sources Family and education Poet, dramatist, and satirist John...
Oscar Wilde Resources
Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) was an immensely gifted writer who produced a large variety of work ranging from humorous to tragic. He had the capacity to be ridiculous (The Importance of Being Earnest) as well...
Walden Pond photos
Enjoy these images of the Walden Pond that inspired Thoreau.
The Jumblies by Edward Lear
THE JUMBLIES by Edward Lear I. They went to sea in a Sieve, they did, In a Sieve they went to sea: In spite of all their friends could say, On a winter’s morn,...
The Walrus and the Carpenter by Lewis Carroll
The Walrus and the Carpenter by Lewis Carroll “The sun was shining on the sea, Shining with all his might: He did his very best to make The billows smooth and bright— And this...
Boaz Asleep by Victor Hugo
BOAZ ASLEEP (“Booz s’était couché.”) by Victor Hugo Translation by BP. ALEXANDER [original French is below the English] from Hugo’s volume of poems, La Légende des siècles collected in Poems by Victor Hugo, 1888...
Willa Cather Letters
You may learn about Willa Cather’s letters in this video from the University of Nebraska. If you prefer to read the letters, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln has an online collection of over 1400 letters....
Shadowlands trailer
The story of C. S. Lewis and Joy Davidman Gresham is told in Shadowlands, a 1993 movie with Anthony Hopkins as Lewis. You may read a brief review on the Decent Films Guide website,...
Count of Monte Cristo Trailer and Music
Here is the trailer for the 2002 film of The Count of Monte Cristo. I haven’t seen this film but here is a link to a very positive review about it, and a link...
Introduction to Medieval Music by Cynthia Cyrus
Introduction to Medieval Music Cynthia J. Cyrus Last modified on June 18, 2003 Introduction The medieval musical experience is impossible to recapture, for most of the music of daily life is lost to us....
