The Literary Class Book; Or, Readings in English Literature (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated.1850 Excerpt: ... LITERARY CLASS BOOK; ox, SCHOOL EEADEE. INTRODUCTION. It is usual to preface Compilations of this kind with rules for reading founded upon the Inflections Of The Voice, as developed by Walker in his "Elements of Elocution." Those rules, and the principles on which they are founded, are, in our estimation, more ingenious in theory than useful in application; and such, we are confident, is the general opinion. Even of the teachers who use such compilations in their schools, few, we are convinced, require their pupils to peruse the " Principles of Elocution" prefixed to them, much less to apply them in practice. And so much the better; for no person ever became a Good Readek by being taught to Read Ry Exile. In fact, the followers of Walker have made far more of the " Inflections of the Voice" than even he attempted. His views on the subject were at first put forward doubtingly, and theoretically; and even when he had convinced himself that he had made a great " discovery" in this respect, and that he had succeeded in founding a System of Elocution thereon, he evidently betrays doubts with regard to its utility in practice. The truth is, he was too shrewd not to perceive that it would be difficult, if not impossible, to apply in practice, and upon the spur of " Elements of Elocution," Part II. 10. the moment, the numerous and complicated rules which he had laid down; and in point of fact, his doctrine on the subject just amounts to this, that a Good Reader will, in certain constructions of language, employ certain inflections of voice; and that such inflections, in such cases, should be imitated by all who desire to become good readers. Now, it follows from this, that as a good reader is sure to employ on all occasions the inflections of voice that are...