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Practice your writing by typing out classic literature. This method not only enhances your understanding of rhythm, structure, and nuances but also connects you deeply with the timeless flow of literary history.This is a BETA version.

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The Bells and Other Poems

by Edgar Allan Poe

The Bells and Other Poems is a collection by Edgar Allan Poe, which includes the titular poem "The Bells." This collection showcases Poe’s mastery over the macabre, the mysterious, and the melodious aspects of poetry. The poems oscillate between the eerie tranquility of the beautiful and the unsettling whispers of the supernatural.

Read more about Edgar Allan Poe
The Bells and Other Poems
Thrilling to think, poor child of sin!
It was the dead who groaned within.






_ULALUME_


The skies they were ashen and sober;
     The leaves they were crisped and sere--
     The leaves they were withering and sere;
It was night in the lonesome October
     Of my most immemorial year;
It was hard by the dim lake of Auber,
     In the misty mid region of Weir--
It was down by the dank tarn of Auber,
     In the ghoul-haunted woodland of Weir.

Here once, through an alley Titanic,
     Of cypress, I roamed with my Soul--
     Of cypress, with Psyche, my Soul.
These were days when my heart was volcanic
     As the scoriac rivers that roll--
     As the lavas that restlessly roll
Their sulphurous currents down Yaanek
     In the ultimate climes of the pole--
That groan as they roll down Mount Yaanek
     In the realms of the boreal pole.

[Illustration: Ulalume]

Our talk had been serious and sober,
     But our thoughts they were palsied and sere--
     Our memories were treacherous and sere--
For we knew not the month was October,
     And we marked not the night of the year--
     (Ah, night of all nights in the year!)
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Why Type a Masterpiece?

Typing out classical literature is not just an exercise in patience; it's a deeply immersive way to understand the rhythm, structure, and nuances of great writing. By manually reproducing the works of renowned authors, you engage with the text on a level that reading alone cannot offer. This method allows you to feel the flow of sentences, the choice of words, and the intricate construction of paragraphs that make these works timeless.

Style is a very simple matter; it is all rhythm. Once you get that, you can't use the wrong words.

– Virginia Woolf

literati is a unique platform where writers can select from a vast collection of public domain classics to type out. This practice is akin to a musician playing pieces by the masters to internalize the elements of composition and performance. Just as the musician learns the subtleties of each note and chord, the writer learns the power of each word and sentence.

Prose is like hair; it shines with combing.

– Gustave Flaubert

Engaging directly with masterpieces allows writers to absorb the rhythm of the text, the ebb and flow of its pacing, and the beauty of its imagery. It cultivates an appreciation for the craft of writing and provides invaluable lessons in how to construct compelling narratives, develop characters, and evoke emotions in readers. Happy typing!

The only truth is music.

– Jack Kerouac

More on this topic:

"Imitate then innovate", an article by David Perell