Why we should read--

Metadata

Gutenberg ID

41285

Title

Why we should read--

Language

en

Book source

Project Gutenberg

Description max 80 words

S. P. B. Mais champions reading as a pursuit of genuine enjoyment rather than critical analysis. This collection introduces readers to a diverse array of English classics, contemporary writers, linguistic explorations, and foreign masters, encouraging an appreciation for beauty, sincerity, and the universal passion for love and life.

Summary up to 500 words

In *Why We Should Read*, S. P. B. Mais offers a laudatory celebration of literature, urging readers to move beyond sterile criticism and embrace the sheer pleasure of reading. Mais argues that professional critics often act like vultures, crowding around weak works to devour them, whereas the true critic should be a gardener who points out beauty. He advocates for a middle ground between ferocious disdain for modern writing and a surfeit of all that is published, encouraging readers to seek authors they do not yet know to form new friendships with writers who offer rich conversation and delicious viands for the mind. The book is divided into four parts. The first section explores English Classics, championing Henry Fielding's *Tom Jones* for its narrative vitality and human truth, contrasting it with the weary self-analysis of modern fiction. Mais also praises the works of Charles Lamb, James Boswell, and William Hazlitt, and highlights the poet John Donne, whose sermons and verses capture the full spectrum of human passion, from the spiritual to the sensual. He notes that Donne was a complete experimentalist in love, treating it in phases no other poet matched. The second part examines Contemporaries, highlighting the poetry of Francis Brett-Young, Iris Tree, Aldous Huxley, and Robert Graves, alongside the novels of E. M. Forster and Ford Madox Hueffer. Mais also discusses Walter Savage Landor, contrasting his classical, architectural style with the romantic embellishments of Keats, and admiring his aphorisms on friendship and death. The third section delves into Books on the English Language, discussing its history and the romance of words. Mais defends the use of idiom as the life and spirit of language while attacking the ostentatious use of quotations. He emphasizes that a great writer must possess adequate expression, plainness without vulgarity, and elevation without pomp. Finally, the fourth part introduces Foreigners, specifically Russian giants like Tolstoy, Dostoievsky, and Tchehov. Mais praises their realism and depth, noting Tchehov's unique ability to get inside the very body of his characters and his incurable optimism despite his realistic portrayal of provincial dullness. Throughout the book, Mais maintains that literature provides a refreshing escape from the flood of reading matter that serves no purpose, inviting readers to join a group of eclectics who enjoy the regularity, strength, and state found in great poetry and prose.

LLM editorial rating

4.2/5

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Categories

• Russian Literature
• English Literature
• Reading