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IntroductionIntroductory Note
Introductory Note
John Ruskin (1819-1900), the greatest master of ornate prose in the
English language, was born in London and educated at Oxford. He studied
painting, and became a graceful and accurate draftsman, but he early
transferred his main energies from the production to the criticism and
teaching of art. In 1843 appeared the first volume of "Modern Painters," and
succeeding volumes continued to be published till it was completed by the
fifth in 1860. The startling originality of this work, both in style and in
the nature of its esthetic theories, brought the author at once into
prominence, though for some time he was more attacked than followed. Meanwhile
he extended his scope to include other fields. In "The Seven Lamps of
Architecture" (1849) and "The Stones of Venice" (1851-53) he applied his
theories to architecture; in "Pre-Raphaelitism" (1851) he came to the
defense of the new school of art then beginning to agitate England; in "Unto
this Last" (1861) and many other writings he attacked the current political
economy.
In spite of the great variety of the themes of Ruskin`s numerous volumes,
there are to be found, underlying the eloquent argument, exposition, and
exhortation of all, a few persistent principles. The application of these
principles in one place is often inconsistent with that in another, and Ruskin
frankly reversed his opinion with great frequency in successive editions of
the same work; yet he continued to use a dogmatic tone which is at once his
strength and his weakness.
The two lectures which constitute "Sesame and Lilies" deal ostensibly
with the reading of books; but in characteristic fashion the author brings
into the discussion his favorite ideas on ethics, esthetics, economics, and
many other subjects. It thus gives a fairly comprehensive idea of the nature
of the widespread influence which he exerted on English life and thought
during the whole of the second half of the nineteenth century. Its style also,
in its earnestness, its richness, and its lofty eloquence, exemplifies the
pitch to which he brought the tradition of the highly decorated prose
cultivated by De Quincey in the previous generation, a pitch of gorgeousness
in color and cadence which has been surpassed by none.
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