Suggestions for Reading
1. Much of Mr. Herrick’s work must be regarded as primarily social criticism of American life. Does the interest tend to centre rather upon the problems of the characters, growing out of their circumstances, or upon the characters themselves?
2. Is Mr. Herrick’s work more notable for scope and breadth or for intensity?
3. Note, especially in the novels previous to 1905, the conscientious artistry, the compactness of structure, and the unity of tone commonly associated with poetry. What other qualities characteristic of poetry appear in Mr. Herrick’s work?
4. With the structure of his earlier work compare that of the Memoirs of an American Citizen as showing an attempt at greater breadth of canvas and greater variety of tone. Trace this attempt further in his later work.
5. What evidences do you find in Mr. Herrick’s novels of a carefully wrought theory of the art of the novelist?
6. Someone has called Mr. Herrick “a discouraged idealist.” Is this just?
Bibliography
- The Man Who Wins. 1895.
- Literary Love Letters and Other Stories. 1896.
- The Gospel of Freedom. 1898.
- Love’s Dilemmas. 1898.
- The Web of Life. 1900.
- The Real World. 1901.
- Their Child. 1903.
- *The Common Lot. 1904.
- The Memoirs of an American Citizen. 1905.
- *The Master of the Inn. 1908.
- *Together. 1908.
- A Life for a Life. 1910.
- The Healer. 1911.
- One Woman’s Life. 1913.
- His Great Adventure. 1913.
- Clark’s Field. 1914.
- The World Decision. 1916.
- The Conscript Mother. 1916.
Studies and Reviews