An essay on man vs Poems: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: German poetry, English Manuscripts, Facsimiles, Manuscripts, English poetry, Poetry
An essay on man
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"Voltaire called it "the most sublime didactic poem ever written in any language." Rousseau rhapsodized about its intellectual consolations. Kant recited long passages of it from memory during his lectures. And Adam…
Poems
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A brief introduction to the life of Shelley, called the poet of "uncompromising spirit," and his most praised works, some extracted from the whole, others presented in full.
Side by side
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- An essay on man is the quickest read — about 2 hours vs 17 for Poems.
- An essay on man has the widest readership — 1899 ratings behind its score.
Scores by source
| An essay on man | Poems | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 3.7 (1899) | — |
| Hardcover | 3.3 (3) | 4.0 (5) |
| Google Books | — | 5.0 (1) |
| Apple Books | 4.0 (5) | — |
Reception
| An essay on man | Poems | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 1899 | 5 |
| Editions | 315 | 233 |
| Citations | 6 | — |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 2875 | — |
| Reading it now | 208 | — |
| Written reviews | 127 | — |
| Wikipedia attention | 2351 | 19870 |
| Pages | 126 | 918 |
Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: An essay on man or Poems?
Poems has the higher combined reader rating across sources (Poems 3.8/5, An essay on man 3.7/5).
Which is shorter to read: An essay on man or Poems?
An essay on man is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: An essay on man (126 pages, ≈ 2 h 20 m); Poems (918 pages, ≈ 17 h 00 m).
Which is harder to read: An essay on man or Poems?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — An essay on man: Demanding; Poems: Demanding.