An Introduction to the Study of Poetry. By Mark H.
Liddell. (Grant Richards. Gs.)—Our notice of this book must be both general and brief. Its main object may be described as the assertion of scientific principles as underlying the whole subject of literature teaching in respect of the province of poetry. This teaching is often very vague and, so to speak, sentimental. It is often said that this must necessarily be its character, and that it has therefore no claim to be considered a serious study. We are not prepared to accept all Mr. Liddell'a conclusions as to the essential nature of poetry. We cannot harmonise them with the history of the human mind. At the same time, we acknowledge that much that he says is both useful and true ; that his endeavour to find a scientific basis for his teaching is an effort in the right direction; and, in particular, that much of what he says about the essence and the form of poetry, the correlation of the thought and the prosody, is excellent.
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