Articles Index - page 2
Getting Up on Cold Mornings, by Leigh Hunt
In the first part of this essay, Hunt illustrates various ways in which "an ingenious lier in bed" might resist invitations to get up on a cold morning. In the rest of the essay, he offers strategies for persuading others to abandon the "enormous bliss" of a warm bed.
The Haunted Mind, by Nathaniel Hawthorne
One of the dark fables in Hawthorne's "Twice-Told Tales" is this second-person account of the spirits that occupy the "intermediate space" between sleeping and waking.
On National Prejudices, by Oliver Goldsmith
In his essay "On National Prejudices," Goldsmith argues that it is possible to love one's own country "without hating the natives of other countries."
Quality, by John Galsworthy
In the narrative essay "Quality," published in 1912, John Galsworthy depicts a German craftsman's efforts to survive in an era where success is determined "by adverdisement, nod by work."
The Art of Procuring Pleasant Dreams, by Benjamin Franklin
American statesman and scientist Benjamin Franklin offers advice on "preserving health" and avoiding "unpleasing dreams."
Advice on the Choice of a Mistress, by Benjamin Franklin
Franklin advises an acquaintance, "But if you will not take this counsel and persist in thinking a commerce with the sex inevitable, then I repeat my former advice, that in all your amours you should prefer old women to young ones."
A Glorious Resurrection, by Frederick Douglass
In this narrative passage from Chapter 10 of his first autobiography, Frederick Douglass recounts "the turning-point" in his "career as a slave."
An Experiment in Misery, by Stephen Crane
Best known today for his novel "The Red Badge of Courage," Stephen Crane also endures as a significant figure in the development of modern literary journalism. His writings often blur the distinction between nonfiction writing and fiction. Though usually categorized as a short story, "Experiment in Misery" first appeared as an article in the "New York Press" (1894).
Rural Hours, by Susan Fenimore Cooper
In recent years, especially since the republication of "Rural Hours" in an unabridged edition, Susan Fenimore Cooper has come to be recognized as a significant figure in the tradition of American nature writing. Here she reports on "trifling incidents" observed at the end of a "charming day" in late June.
On Knowing What Gives Us Pleasure, by Samuel Butler
In the following essay, drawn from "The Note-Books of Samuel Butler," the British novelist encourages us to be honest about expressing our likes and dislikes--"to make sure of our ground and be quite certain that we really do like a thing before we say we do."
In Mammoth Cave, by John Burroughs
In the following essay, first published in 1894, naturalist John Burroughs reports on a visit to Mammoth Cave in central Kentucky.
Christmas Afternoon, by Robert Benchley
Robert Benchley's account of the Gummidge family's "Christmas Afternoon"--written "in the manner" of Charles Dickens--is an especially witty example of parody.
A Law of Acceleration, by Henry Adams
In "A Law of Acceleration," the second-to-last chapter of "The Education of Henry Adams." Adams observed that whereas coal output served as the measure of progress in the 19th century, the dynamo would characterize the acceleration of progress in the 20th.
Gifts, by Ralph Waldo Emerson
In this short essay (an extended definition), Emerson encourages us to do some "high thinking" about the nature of both gift-giving and gift-receiving. As the critic David Herd has observed, "Though it never actually loses sight of the act of giving which is his theme, Emerson's essay is really about the act of judgment."
She Would Have Enjoyed It, by George Bernard Shaw
In this letter to the renowned British actress Mrs. Patrick Campbell, dramatist George Bernard Shaw recounts his mother's funeral service with humor and affection.
A Hanging, by George Orwell
From 1922 to 1927, George Orwell served in Burma as a member of the Indian Imperial Police. Out of that experience came this classic essay, "A Hanging."
The Penalty of Death, by H.L. Mencken
Consider how (and why) Mencken injects humor into his discussion of a grim subject.
A Fable, by Mark Twain
Consider what lesson about the nature of perception is contained in "A Fable," by American humorist Mark Twain.
Why Are Beggars Despised? by George Orwell
Drawn from Chapter 31 of Orwell's first book, "Down and Out in Paris and London," this short essay invites us to explore our own attitudes to the "ordinary human beings" known today as "the homeless."
The Libido for the Ugly, by H. L. Mencken
H.L. Mencken's attack on American architecture in "The Libido for the Ugly" endures as a powerful exercise in hyperbole and invective.
Margaret Fuller and Mary Wollstonecraft, by George Eliot
Widely recognized as one of England's greatest novelists, George Eliot (the pen name of Marian Evans) was also a notable poet and critic. In this review essay, Eliot compares two books published 50 years apart: Mary Wollstonecraft's "A Vindication of the Rights of Woman" (1792) and Margaret Fuller's "Woman in the Nineteenth Century" (published originally as "The Great Lawsuit," 1843).
The Modern Essay, by Virginia Woolf
Here, assuming the guise of the common reader, Virginia Woolf offers "a few . . . ideas and opinions" about the nature of the English essay.
Street Haunting: A London Adventure, by Virginia Woolf
In this essay by English novelist Virginia Woolf, the quest to buy a pencil serves as an occasion to contrast "street sauntering," with its sense of carefree wandering, with "street haunting," which hints at the more disturbing aspects of walking in the city.
The Patron and the Crocus, by Virginia Woolf
Virginia Woolf considers the relationship between a writer and her readers: to what extent should a writer keep her audience in mind when she writes--and which audience should that be?
The Land of Little Rain, by Mary Austin
In the first chapter of "The Land of Little Rain," Mary Austin describes the "lotus charm" of "the loneliest land that ever came out of God's hands."