X

1

A Specimen of Proof with Marks.

The Coliseum.

2 A colossal taste gave rise to the Coliseum. Here,

3 indeep, gigantic dimensions were necessary; for

Caps

4 though hundreds could enter at once, andfifty #

Λ

5 thousand find seats, the space was still insuf

6 ficient for Rome, and the crowd for the morning] ]
began at midnight. Vespasian and Titus,

7 games
8 as if presaging their own deaths, hurried the
9 building, and] left several marks of their pre-
10 cipitancy behind. In the upper walls they
11 have inserted stones which had evidently been
12 dressed for a different purpose.

Some of the no

Ko. 13 arcades are grossly unequal; no moulding pre14 serves the same level and form round the whole le 15 ellipse, And every order is full of license. The

Cap

a

stet

16 Doric has no triglyphs nor metopes, and its arch
17 is low too) for its columns; the Ionic repeats
18 the entablature of the Doric the third order is
19 but a rough cast of the corinthian, and its foli-
20 age the thickest waterplants; the fourth seems

Λ

w

break

f

Ital

21 mere repetition of the third in pilasters; and
Λ
22 the whole is crowned by a heavy Attic Happily O

23 for the Coliseum, the shape

to an am

24 phitheatre has given it a stability of costruc-
25 tion suficient to resist fires, and earthquakes,
V

26 and lightnings, and sieges.

necessary.

Explanation of Proof-Marks.

1. Capitals are marked by drawing three lines under the word, as in line 1.

2. Small Capitals are marked by drawing two lines under the word, as in line 2.

A Superfluous Letter has a line drawn through it, and d (the Latin dele, destroy) is put in the margin.

3. An Inverted Letter is marked as in line 3.

4. A Space is inserted as in line 4.
5. A Space is removed as in line 5.
6. A Line is indented as in line 6.
7. A Word is depressed as in line 7.
8. A Word is elevated as in line 8.

9. A Word is moved, either to the right or left, as in line 9 only the mark is turned so that the angle shows the direction in which the word is to be moved.

10. A Quadrat (a piece of type metal used to space the let ers) sometimes appears. Its face is depressed as in line 10. 11. A Broken Letter is marked as in line 11.

12. No Break is marked as in line 12.

A Paragraph is marked by placing ¶ in the margin.

13. Roman Letters are marked as in line 13.

14. Wrong Font, or wrong style of type, is marked as in line 14.

15. Lower Case Errors are marked as in line 15.

16. Italic Letters are marked as in line 16.

17. Words to be Transposed are marked as in line 17.

18. A Point Left Out is inserted as in line 18.

19. A Capital Letter is inserted as in line 19.

20. A Hyphen Left Out is inserted as in line 20.

21. A Letter Left Out is inserted as in line 21

22. Same as 18. See also line 26.

23. A Word or Expression Left Out is inserted as in line 23. 24. Letters to be Transposed are marked as in line 24.

25. Stet is the Latin for "let it stand, or remain," and is used when a supposed error has been corrected, but afterward is found not to be an error.

26. Quotation Marks are inserted as in line 26. Apostrophes are inserted in a similar manner.

CHAPTER IY.

CRITICISM.

1. Definition of Criticism.

CRITICISM (from the Greek Kpive, krinein, to judge) is the art of judging of the merits and defects of any production. Literary criticism is the art of judging of the merits and defects of a written composition. The word "criticism means also the act of criticising; as, "This book invites severe criticism;" and even a critical writing; as, " Macaulay's criticism of Milton." The word critique, however, is better suited to this last meaning.

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It is a common error to suppose that criticism is the art of fault-finding. Its true function, as the word criticism implies, is judicial. The critic is a judge. Hence partiality of any kind ought not to influence his judgment. He is to point out excellences as well as defects, and, balancing all, to decide upon the value of the production. In this he will necessarily be guided by his own principles and tastes; hence it is important that these should be correct and pure. As criticism is thus depend. ent upon personal views and feelings, it cannot claim scientific certainty for its results, except as these are founded upon universally admitted principles.

2. The Value of Criticism.

The value of criticism is two-fold: (1) to the writer in composing; and (2) to the reader in enjoying lit. erary works

A trained writer criticises his own work at every step of its progress, and modifies his plan and method as he proceeds. Many excellences, no doubt, are introduced without conscious intention, but many even of these are owing to a critical habit of thought, which is the result of previous effort. In addition to this habitual criticism a more deliberate and scrutinizing examination of a composition is of great value. The act of composing is frequently accompanied with a glow of satisfaction which magnifies merits and conceals defects. Hence the eye of another, or his own eye after an interval of time, will often detect faults which are not apparent to the composer at the time of writing.

On the other hand, many elaborate compositions require close inspection, to discover their latent beauties and artistic finish. Hence the competent critic has a never failing source of enjoyment in the exercise of his art..

It is a good plan to subject our literary workmanship to the criticism of another, even though he be no more competent than the writer to judge of literary merit. One's own subsequent judgment also is generally worth waiting for. It is an excellent rule never to regard a composition finished until, after sufficient time has elapsed to allow it to pass out of the writer's mind, it is deliberately criticised and retouched. In this drier light of after-thought one's ideas, plan, diction, and figures are judged according to their own merits and not with the partiality of authorship.

3. Kinds of Literary Criticism.

In criticising a composition we may make any one of several elements the prominent object of attention. (1) We may consider only the truth of the matter.

This is called Real Criticism. (2) We may limit our examination to the validity of the arguments. This is called Logical Criticism. (3) We may regard only the language used. This is called Verbal Criticism. (4) We may examine the production as a work of art, designed to gratify the taste. This is called Esthetic Criticism.

As truth must be discovered by special acquaintance with each department of knowledge, it would be useless to attempt any statement of the principles of real criticism. Real criticism assumes two principal forms, historical criticism, and scientific criticism. The former aims to decide what documents of antiquity are worthy of credence and what events actually occur. red. This has recently become an important branch of investigation. Scientific criticism aims to separate the true from the false in the data and theories of science. Logical criticism is based on certain principles called laws of thought, and is properly considered in the study of Logic. Verbal criticism derives its authority from the principles of Style as laid down in the second chapter of this book. The learner may find some excellent examples of verbal criticism in Blair's Lectures on Rhetoric and Belles Lettres," Lectures xx.-xxiv. Esthetic criticism is founded upon the laws of Esthetics, or the science of beauty and kindred emotions. As some knowledge of the principles of taste is desirable in connection with criticism, æsthetic criticism will receive special attention in the following pages.

4. Method of Treatment.

There are two elements in criticism, (1) the absolute, and (2) the relative.

(1) The absolute element comprises the fixed principles of actual fact, the laws of thought, and the canons of style. These cannot be violated with impu nity even by genius.