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The Classics Club
2020-2025

The Classics Spin #26

Twitter hashtag: #ccspin

For this Classics spin #26, I got #11, which on my list was

I just finished reading George Saunders’ fantastic literary criticism book (A Swim in a Pond in the Rain) based on his class on Russian short stories, so I am really thrilled with this book that will help me linger more on words and the art of writing.

“Owen Barfield‘s original and thought-provoking works over three-quarters of a century made him a legendary cult figure. History in English Words is his classic historical excursion through the English language. It was originally published in 1926.

This popular book provides a brief, brilliant history of those who have spoken the Indo-European tongues. It is illustrated throughout by current English words—whose derivation from other languages, whose history in use and changes of meaning—record and unlock the larger history.

About the Author:
Owen Barfield (1898-1997), British philosopher and critic, has been called the “First and Last Inkling” because of his influential and enduring role in the group known as the Oxford Inklings, which included C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and Charles Williams.
It was Barfield who first advanced the ideas about language, myth, and belief that became identified with the thought and art of the Inklings.
He is the author of numerous books, including Poetic Diction; Romanticism Comes of Age; Unancestoral Voice; History, Guilt, and Habit; and Worlds Apart, as well as works of fiction and poetry. His history of the evolution of human consciousness, Saving the Appearances: A Study in Idolatry, achieved a place in the list of the “100 Best Spiritual Books of the Century.””

Have you read it? What did you think?

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