1895 printing of the 1893 copyrighted text. Fletcher is credited as Instructor of English at Harvard College and Carpenter is credited as Professor of Rhetoric and English Composition in Columbia College. A series of lectures delivered to the Freshman class at Harvard (by Fletcher) in the spring of 1893. It purports to be a study of the different kinds of composition and their treatment of a variety of subject matter. The kinds considered are letter-writing, translation, description, narration, criticism, exposition, argument, and persuasion. The main principle (called relativity) is that compositions should be judged by their effectiveness for the purpose at hand. The purpose is defined by the object in view, the individuality of the writer, and the capacity of the reader. The lectures are accompanied with examples and exercises for students. The Schultz Archive's copy is roughly the complete text.