Never was minor poet more kindly and genially
portrayed. And if one had to pick out three of his books, as the best
worth reading, they would be "The Professor," "Elsie Venner," and "The
Guardian Angel." They have not the impeccable art and distinction of
"The House of the Seven Gables" and "The Scarlet Letter," but they
combine fantasy with living human interest, and with humour. With Sir
Thomas Browne, and Dr. John Brown, and--may we not add Dr. Weir
Mitchell?--Dr. Holmes excellently represents the physician in humane
letters. He has left a blameless and most amiable memory, unspotted by
the world. His works are full of the savour of his native soil,
naturally, without straining after "Americanism;" and they are national,
not local or provincial. He crossed the great gulf of years, between the
central age of American literary production--the time of Hawthorne and
Poe--to our own time, and, like Nestor, he reigned among the third
generation. As far as the world knows, the shadow of a literary quarrel
never fell on him; he was without envy or jealousy, incurious of his own
place, never vain, petulant, or severe. He was even too good-humoured,
and the worst thing I have heard of him is that he could never say "no"
to an autograph hunter.
CHAPTER V: MR. MORRIS'S POEMS
"Enough," said the pupil of the wise Imlac, "you have convinced me that
no man can be a poet.
Pages:
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106