Susan Rogers Cooper

Longinus discusses the elements of excellent writing with his companion Postumius Terentianus. The most important principle of excellent writing is that it “takes the reader out of himself” (4), leaving an impression of force and passion on the reader.

The poem describes the narrative of an Ancient Mariner who uses his crossbow to kill an albatross. After the bird is killed, a strong gale sweeps the ship farther and deeper into the Pacific Ocean.

In “Confessions,” a religious life is described, together with human prayer and thanksgiving. Augustine invokes God at the start of the piece, asking him to support him as he writes about his own life.

Herman Melville’s The Piazza Tales is a collection of tales. It was released in 1856. Five of the six pieces in the book had previously appeared in Putnam’s Monthly magazine; only the title story, “The Piazza,” was new to the collection.

This timeless devotional classic is comprised of the letters and recorded conversations of a modest lay brother who lived in the seventeenth century. He was able to reach a great relationship with God via the most basic of activities, such as praying and reading the Bible.