F. V. N. Painter’s Elementary Guide to Literary Criticism introduces students to the principles of judging literature. It defines the qualities of good writing and the standards by which poetry, fiction, and prose may be evaluated.
A textbook of its era, the book offers a systematic approach to criticism for the classroom, with rules, distinctions, and examples. It is a useful record of how literary appreciation was taught to general students. This edition is a clean, public-domain text prepared for comfortable reading. Download the free EPUB of this concise introduction to the principles of literary criticism.