The Project Gutenberg eBook, Literary Taste: How to Form It, by Arnold
Bennett

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Title: Literary Taste: How to Form It

Author: Arnold Bennett

Release Date: October 25, 2004 [eBook #13852]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII)

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LITERARY TASTE: HOW TO FORM IT

With Detailed Instructions for Collecting a Complete Library of
English Literature

by

ARNOLD BENNETT

1913

CONTENTS

CHAPTER I
THE AIM

CHAPTER II
YOUR PARTICULAR CASE

CHAPTER III
WHY A CLASSIC IS A CLASSIC

CHAPTER IV
WHERE TO BEGIN

CHAPTER V
HOW TO READ A CLASSIC

CHAPTER VI
THE QUESTION OF STYLE

CHAPTER VII
WRESTLING WITH AN AUTHOR

CHAPTER VIII
SYSTEM IN READING

CHAPTER IX
VERSE

CHAPTER X
BROAD COUNSELS

CHAPTER XI
AN ENGLISH LIBRARY: PERIOD I

CHAPTER XII
AN ENGLISH LIBRARY: PERIOD II

CHAPTER XIII
AN ENGLISH LIBRARY: PERIOD III

CHAPTER XIV
MENTAL STOCKTAKING

CHAPTER I

THE AIM

At the beginning a misconception must be removed from the path.
Many people, if not most, look on literary taste as an elegant
accomplishment, by acquiring which they will complete themselves, and
make themselves finally fit as members of a correct society. They are
secretly ashamed of their ignorance of literature, in the same way
as they would be ashamed of their ignorance of etiquette at a high
entertainment, or of their inability to ride a horse if suddenly
called upon to do so. There are certain things that a man ought to
know, or to know about, and literature is one of them: such is their
idea. They have learnt to dress themselves with propriety, and to
behave with propriety on all occasions; they are fairly "up" in the
questions of the day; by industry and enterprise they are succeeding
in their vocations; it behoves them, then, not to forget that
an acquaintance with literature is an indispensable part of a
self-respecting man's personal baggage. Painting