Recollections of a Literary Life: Or, Books, Places, and People

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Cambridge University Press, Sep 23, 2010 - Biography & Autobiography - 308 pages
Better known for her five volume portrait of English rural life, Our Village, Mary Russell Mitford (1787-1855) was one of the most prolific female writers of her day. Part critical essay, part autobiography, Recollections consists of a series of sketches on and selections from Mitford's favourite authors, stemming from her desire 'to make others relish a few favourite writers as heartily as I have relished them myself'. The collection is arranged according to Mitford's own eclectic system of categorization including 'fashionable poets', 'cavalier poets', and 'poetry that poets love'. This third volume includes chapters on Wordsworth, Richardson, Coleridge, Walter Scott, Chaucer, Hawthorne, Milton, and several others. Mitford wears her immense literary skill lightly and Recollections is masterfully written, full of lively wit and fascinating biographical detail. Published just three years before Mitford's death, it was based on earlier articles and letters.
 

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Contents

II
21
LETTERS OF AUTHORS
41
SIR WALTER SCOTT c
64
V
94
VI
119
VII
149
VIII
173
IX
199
NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE
219
XI
250
XII
264
XIII
276
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