Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes and His Works (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated.1878 Excerpt: ... CHAPTER IX. THE BREAKFAST-TABLE SERIES. "various kinds of literary fame seem destined to various measures of duration. Some spread into exuberance with a very speedy growth, but soon wither and decay; some rise more slowly, but last long. Parnassus has its flowers of transient fragrance, as well as its oaks of towering height, and its laurels of eternal verdure." So wrote Johnson in The Rambler, some century and a quarter ago. The truth of his remark is seen in our own day in many cases; but the causes which contribute to the lasting fame of an author so often depend upon accident or caprice, that no certain rule may be laid down by which to judge of the probable duration of any particular author's fame. It must in all cases be matter of conjecture; although the fame of an author who has touched upon leading truths, and thrown new light upon them in an agreeable manner, may reasonably be expected to last for some considerable length of time, especially if he shall have been quicklyresponded to when he gave forth his work. With these saving remarks, we may now express our belief that Oliver Wendell Holmes will not be a flower of Parnassus "of transient fragrance;" but will attain rather to the class of "oaks of towering height" and "laurels of eternal verdure." And it is probably by the Breakfast-Table series that our author's laurels will sustain their verdant hue. This series of writings, which we shall in this chapter fully consider, is so replete with wisdom and wit of versatile character, that it is almost impossible for anyone to miss some point especially interesting to him or her, whilst generally it is interesting to all. Perhaps the secret of this fact lies in the following modest confession of the author, extracted from the Poet at the Breakfast-T...