Modern mysticism,: And other essays

by Francis Grierson

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1899 edition. Excerpt: ... The New Criticism It would be interesting to ask certain critics to define the difference between the personal merits of a poet who has periods of alcoholic inebriety, and a poet who has spells of narcotic intoxication. The people who idolise Burns and sneer at Poe, who hold Coleridge up as a philosophical paragon and frown at De Quincey as a literary outcast, may or may not know that petty, local, or provincial prejudice is at the bottom of their likes and dislikes. The calm observer, the man who takes the world as it is, the impartial judge, knows now, as he ever has known, that this kind of criticism is not worth the weight of a pinch of snuff in the critical balance which holds the burden of genius. When we stop to consider the small number of criticisms which are not based on this kind of provincial sentiment, as offensive in its ignorance as it is monstrous in its impertinence, we cannot wonder that genius in the AngloSaxon nations means the battle of a lifetime. We cannot marvel that it took twenty years for Ruskin to convince the people that Turner was the greatest of our painters, and forty years for Mr. George Meredith to climb the rugged hill of fame. Even in these days of supposed culture, criticism, in many places, means the liberty to render sentimental preferences conspicuous by the prejudice displayed in sustaining them. The partiality of the sentimental critics is so apparent, that it is no wonder that they do more harm than good to the genius whom they seek to uphold. We regard with stupefaction to-day the adverse opinions expressed by Carlyle about certain poets and writers of his time. Our sense of justice, our experience, our knowledge of the world, our international sympathies, cause us to look upon such criticism...

180 pages, Hardcover

First published September 12, 2013

About the author

Pen name of composer, pianist and writer Benjamin Henry Jesse Francis Shepard

Born in Birkenhead, England his family immigrated to Illinois while he still was an infant.

He was involved with Spiritualism and stated that many of his musical performances were the result of the spirits of famous composers channeling through him. Shepard traveled through California in 1876 performing at several of the old religious missions founded by the Spanish.