Because I could not stop for Death by Emily Dickinson
Because I could not stop for Death Emily Dickinson Because I could not stop for Death, He kindly stopped for me; The carriage held but just ourselves And Immortality. We slowly drove, he knew...
Category: Excellence in Literature: The Curriculum
Hope by Emily Dickinson
Hope Emily Dickinson Hope is the thing with feathers That perches in the soul, And sings the tune–without the words, And never stops at all, And sweetest in the gale is heard; And...
Poetry by Emily Dickinson
Poems by Emily Dickinson Here is an index to the pages for the Emily Dickinson poems referenced in American Literature (EIL3), plus a few additional favorites. “The Soul selects her own Society” “There is...
The soul selects her own society by Emily Dickinson
The soul selects her own society Emily Dickinson The soul selects her own society, Then shuts the door; On her divine majority Obtrude no more. Unmoved, she notes the chariot’s pausing At her low...
1940 Movie: The House of the Seven Gables by Hawthorne
The House of the Seven Gables is a 1940 drama, loosely based on Nathaniel Hawthorne’s 1851 novel of the same name. Although it differs from Hawthorne’s story, it is nonetheless evocative of the era. Here is the trailer...
“The Raven” by Edgar Allan Poe, Read by Christopher Walken
“The Raven” by Edgar Allan Poe is evocative enough when read aloud, but Christopher Walken’s flawless recitation, accompanied by appropriate sound effects and beautifully engraved illustrations from the art of Paul Gustave Doré, makes it unforgettable....
Sir Agravaine by P G Wodehouse
Sir Agravaine by P G Wodehouse A Tale of King Arthur’s Round Table Some time ago, when spending a delightful week-end at the ancestral castle of my dear old friend, the Duke of Weatherstonhope...
How to Write a Popular Play by G. Bernard Shaw
How to Write a Popular Play by George Bernard Shaw This essay was originally published by George Bernard Shaw in his Preface to Three Plays by Brieux (New York: Brentano’s, 1911), pp. xxii-xxvii [which...
Victorian and Modern Comparison by Melba Cuddy-Keane
Comparison of Victorian and Modern Novel Characteristics by Dr. Melba Cuddy-Keane An exercise in relational definition: Early comparisons between the Victorian novel and the modernist novel set up the following binaries: (Also compare the later...
Introduction to American Romanticism by Ann Woodlief
American Romanticism (or the American Renaissance) An Introduction by Dr. Ann Woodlief For many years, this period and these writers were known as the American Renaissance, a coin termed by F.O. Matthiessen in his...
Some Preliminary Observations on Classical Greek Literature by Ian Johnston
Some Preliminary Observations on Classical Greek Literature by Ian Johnston [A few changes and additions made for posting on this Excellence in Literature webpage are noted in italics in brackets. References to notes by...
Pygmalion and Galatea by Thomas Bulfinch
Legend of Pygmalion and Galatea as told by Thomas Bulfinch [This version of the text comes from Bulfinch’s Mythology: The Age of Fable, by Thomas Bulfinch, revised by Rev. E. E. Hale.] Pygmalion saw...
My Last Duchess by Robert Browning
My Last Duchess by Robert Browning [This poem comes from Browning’s Shorter Poems, edited by Franklin Baker, published in 1917 and now in the public domain. Mr. Baker’s introductory and line notes are included...
Caliban upon Setebos by Robert Browning
CALIBAN UPON SETEBOS OR, NATURAL THEOLOGY IN THE ISLAND by Robert Browning from Browning’s Shorter Poems: Selected and Edited by Franklin Baker, Professor of English in Teachers College, Columbia University. Fourth edition, The Macmillan...
Virgil Biography
The Life of Vergil by Suetonius This public domain text of The Life of Virgil by C. Suetonius Tranquillus was originally published in the Loeb Classical Library in 1914. References to notes in the Loeb...
Lepanto by G K Chesterton
LEPANTO by G. K. Chesterton White founts falling in the Courts of the sun, And the Soldan of Byzantium is smiling as they run; There is laughter like the fountains in that face of...
Dr. Randy Laist: Analysis of Welty’s A Worn Path
While we at EIL always encourage readers to perform their own analysis and develop their own ideas regarding our focus texts, we also believe that it can be helpful to learn from both the...
Dramatization of Eudora Welty’s A Worn Path
Eudora Welty’s short story, A Worn Path, is wonderful in text form, but sometimes it’s interesting to experience such stories in other mediums. This dramatization may help you to visualize what happens. Of course,...
If – poem by Rudyard Kipling
Written in the form of advice from a father to a son, the poem “If—”, by British author Rudyard Kipling (1865–1936) reflects Victorian-era ideals of courage, honor, strength, and manliness. IF- Rudyard Kipling (1910)...
Handbag Scene from Wilde’s Importance of Being Earnest
If you enjoy humor, don’t miss Oscar Wilde’s play, Importance of Being Earnest. Here is an audio recording of John Gielgud and Edith Evans performing in one of the most famous scenes from the play...
1952 film The Importance of Being Earnest clip
Enjoy these clips from the 1952 film of Oscar Wilde’s play, “The Importance of Being Earnest,” starring Dame Edith Evans (Lady Bracknell), Michael Redgrace (Jack Worthing), Joan Greenwood (Gwendolyn), Michael Denison (Algernon), and Dorothy...
De Profundis by Oscar Wilde
Oscar Wilde’s De Profundis is the lengthy letter he wrote from prison. He begins, “Suffering is one very long moment. We cannot divide it by seasons. We can only record its moods, and chronicle their return.”
On the Massacre of the Christians in Bulgaria by Oscar Wilde
In the poem, “On The Massacre Of The Christians In Bulgaria,” the poet calls out to God to “come down . . . and show Thy might” in response to the 1876 massacre of...
Animated Bayeux Tapestry video
Watch the story of the Norman Conquest unfold in this four minute animated video of part of the Bayeux Tapestry. Don’t miss this! Other Literature and Composition (E2) videos
Ivory Consort Medieval Music videos
The Ivory Consort is a contemporary musical group dedicated to the authentic performance of medieval music. Be sure to notice the interesting instruments they’re playing. Other Literature and Composition (E2) videos
Mark Antony’s Funeral Oration Video
Mark Antony – Funeral Oration from Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar (Act III, Scene II) Performed by Nick Baldasare “Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears . . .”. Is there anyone who hasn’t heard Mark...
Julius Caesar Handel opera aria “Se pieta di me non senti”
Listen to this aria, “Se pieta di me non senti” from Handel’s opera Giulio Cesare (Julius Caesar). Natalie Dessay as Cleopatra Production: David McVicar Conductor: Harry Bicket Final Dress Rehearsal for The Metropolitan Opera...
Julius Caesar Handel opera aria “L’angue offeso mai riposa”
Listen to this recitative and aria from Handel’s opera Giulio Cesare (Julius Caesar in Egypt). Max Emanuel Cencic, countertenor Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne, conducted by Ottavio Dantone. Salle Métropole, Lausanne, Switzerland, May 12,...
OperaTalk on Handel’s Julius Caesar in Egypt
George Frideric Handel wrote the opera, Julius Caesar in Egypt. You can hear San Diego OperaTalk’s Nick Reveles discuss the opera, Handel, baroque opera, and musical ornamentation in an interesting episode of San Diego...
Hollow Men Music
This recording of Vincent Persichetti’s composition, “The Hollow Men, for trumpet & string orchestra, Op. 25” evokes the dark mood of both Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness and T. S. Eliot’s poem “The Hollow...
