Literary notes about miscellany (AI summary)
The term “miscellany” in literature has long signified a collection of diverse, often unrelated, materials assembled into a single work. Early examples such as Tottel's Miscellany [1] [2, 3] showcased one of the first English printed anthologies, gathering a variety of poems and texts that helped shape the literary canon. Over time, its usage expanded beyond poetry to denote collections on more specialized subjects, as seen with titles like Hunting, Shooting, and Fishing; A Sporting Miscellany [4], which compiled diverse sporting tales and observations. The word also appears in broader, more abstract contexts; John Dewey contrasts the humanizing unity of viewing the earth as a home with the inert scattering of facts when seen as a miscellany [5]. Moreover, the playful and ironic use of “miscellany” emerges in settings that reflect social dynamics or even absurdity, such as Carlyle’s depiction of the assorted citizens of the Palais Royal [6] and his illustration of a motley collection of soldiers [7, 8]. Overall, "miscellany" has evolved into a flexible term in literature—one that captures the essence of variety and eclecticism, bridging the gap between organized collections and the unexpected juxtapositions of ideas and themes.
- Tottel's Miscellany 1558.
— from English Literature by William J. Long - In 1557 appeared probably the first printed collection of miscellaneous English poems, known as Tottel's Miscellany .
— from English Literature by William J. Long - Hunting, Shooting, and Fishing ; A Sporting Miscellany. Illustrated.
— from British Goblins: Welsh Folk-lore, Fairy Mythology, Legends and Traditions by Wirt Sikes - The earth as the home of man is humanizing and unified; the earth viewed as a miscellany of facts is scattering and imaginatively inert.
— from Democracy and Education: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Education by John Dewey - Loud always is the Palais Royal, loudest the Cafe de Foy; such a miscellany of Citizens and Citizenesses circulating there.
— from The French Revolution: A History by Thomas Carlyle - In miscellaneous seats, is a miscellany of soldiers, commissaries, adventurers; consuming silently their barbarian victuals.
— from The French Revolution: A History by Thomas Carlyle - They have been massed swiftly into a lump, this miscellany of Nondescripts; and travel now their last road.
— from The French Revolution: A History by Thomas Carlyle