History of English Literature, in Four Volumes
Philadelphia: Henry Altemus, 1896. Reissue. Hard Cover. Near Fine / No Jacket. Item #2332043
Spine labels lightly toned, otherwise an exceptional set.
Complete in four volumes. xvi, 433; xii, 447; xiv, 462; xviii, 476 pp. Green cloth, paper spine labels. Engraved frontispiece portraits of Geoffrey Chaucer, Ben Jonson, John Dryden, and Lord Byron. Taine was a major force in the history of literature: 'the tone which pervades the works of Zola, Bourget and Maupassant can be immediately attributed to the influence we call Taine's' (Britannica) He was the chief theoretical influence on French naturalism, a major proponent of sociological positivism and one of the first practitioners of historicist criticism. Literary historicism as a critical movement has been said to originate with him. Taine is also remembered for his attempts to provide a scientific account of literature.
Price: $125.00