English: Composition and Literature

"English: Composition and Literature" by W. F. Webster is a late 19th-century guide designed to improve high school students' writing and understanding of literature. It stresses clear and interesting communication, highlighting different types of writing like storytelling, descriptive writing, informative writing, making arguments, and convincing others. The author wants to offer students advice on picking topics, organizing stories, and using language well. The book begins by explaining why the author wrote it, pointing out that teaching writing requires a structured method. Webster compares writing to subjects such as Latin and math, insisting that it is important to involve students' minds and emotions in their work. It prepares students to explore different kinds of writing, with the goal of helping them express their ideas and emotions in a clear and organized way. This idea is the basis for the useful advice in the rest of the book.