This is a diverse collection of essays by English writer Max Beerbohm, whose circle included such famous men as Oscar Wilde, George Bernard Shaw, Ezra Pound, and Somerset Maugham.
The essays vary considerably in character and subject. They include, among others: a spoof on the bumbling and inarticulate nature of oratory in the House of Commons; a discussion of the writings of James Whistler, the impressionist painter (which Beerbohm considers widely neglected and under-rated); a humorous consideration of why the King of England should make a royal visit to Switzerland; and a description of the delights of frequent attendance at British courts of justice.
The author was among England's best known artists; Section Twenty-Two contains humorous (as well as critical) discussions of nine works of art, including paintings by Reubens, Corot, and Bellini.
- Summary by Kirsten Wever
The essays vary considerably in character and subject. They include, among others: a spoof on the bumbling and inarticulate nature of oratory in the House of Commons; a discussion of the writings of James Whistler, the impressionist painter (which Beerbohm considers widely neglected and under-rated); a humorous consideration of why the King of England should make a royal visit to Switzerland; and a description of the delights of frequent attendance at British courts of justice.
The author was among England's best known artists; Section Twenty-Two contains humorous (as well as critical) discussions of nine works of art, including paintings by Reubens, Corot, and Bellini.
- Summary by Kirsten Wever
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Chapters
- Chapter 1
The Fire
24:24 - Chapter 2
Seeing People Off
13:15 - Chapter 3
A Memory of a Midnight Express
16:45 - Chapter 4
Porro Unum
12:31 - Chapter 5
A Club in Ruins
22:22 - Chapter 6
'273'
13:23 - Chapter 7
A Study in Dejection
11:17 - Chapter 8
A Pathetic Imposture
10:16 - Chapter 9
The Decline of the Graces
22:55 - Chapter 10
Whistler's Writing
27:07 - Chapter 11
Ichabod
43:14 - Chapter 12
General Elections
10:49 - Chapter 13
A Parallel
09:14 - Chapter 14
A Morris for May-Day
28:41 - Chapter 15
The House of Commons Manner
22:05 - Chapter 16
The Naming of Streets
31:36 - Chapter 17
On Shakespeare's Birthday
12:28 - Chapter 18
A Home-Coming
10:23 - Chapter 19
'The Ragged Regiment'
19:38 - Chapter 20
The Homour of the Public
25:06 - Chapter 21
Dulcedo Judiciorum
29:42 - Chapter 22
Words for Pictures
1:07:00