On the Art of Reading
Delivered from the Cambridge lectern in the years around 1920, these lectures are Arthur Quiller-Couch’s argument for how literature ought to be met and taught. Writing as the critic known simply as Q, he insists that reading is an art to be practiced with pleasure and attention, not a science to be dissected, and he presses for teaching that treats great books as living things rather than exam fodder. A companion to his earlier On the Art of Writing, the talks range over poetry, the Bible as English prose, children’s reading, and the slow shaping of taste. His warmth and plain good sense still make the case better than most modern manuals. Free PDF and EPUB editions are available to download.
About the Author
Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch (1863-1944) was a Cornish novelist, critic, and Cambridge professor who wrote under the initial Q. He edited the influential Oxford Book of English Verse and shaped generations of readers through his lectures on writing and reading.
See all books by Arthur Quiller-Couch →
