Appearance
Excerpt
Excerpt from The Autocrat of the Breakfast-Table, by Oliver Wendell Holmes
—“When I feel inclined to read poetry I take down my Dictionary. The<br />
poetry of words is quite as beautiful as that of sentences. The<br />
author may arrange the gems effectively, but their fhape and luftre<br />
have been given by the attrition of ages. Bring me the fineft fimile<br />
from the whole range of imaginative writing, and I will fhow you a<br />
fingle word which conveys a more profound, a more accurate, and a<br />
more eloquent analogy.”—
—“Once on a time, a notion was ftarted, that if all the people in the<br />
world would fhout at once, it might be heard in the moon. So the<br />
projectors agreed it fhould be done in juft ten years. Some thousand<br />
fhip-loads of chronometers were diftributed to the selectmen and<br />
other great folks of all the different nations. For a year<br />
beforehand, nothing else was talked about but the awful noise that<br />
was to be made on the great occafion. When the time came, everybody<br />
had their ears so wide open, to hear the universal ejaculation of<br />
BOO,—the word agreed upon,—that nobody spoke except a deaf man in one<br />
of the Fejee Islands, and a woman in Pekin, so that the world was<br />
never so ftill fince the creation.”—
There was nothing better than these things and there was not a little
that was much worse. A young fellow of two or three and twenty has as
good a right to spoil a magazine-full of essays in learning how to write,
as an oculist like Wenzel had to spoil his hat-full of eyes in learning
how to operate for cataract, or an elegant like Brummel to point to an
armful of failures in the attempt to achieve a perfect tie. This son of
mine, whom I have not seen for these twenty-five years, generously
counted, was a self-willed youth, always too ready to utter his
unchastised fancies. He, like too many American young people, got the
spur when he should have had the rein. He therefore helped to fill the
market with that unripe fruit which his father says in one of these
papers abounds in the marts of his native country. All these by-gone
shortcomings he would hope are forgiven, did he not feel sure that very
few of his readers know anything about them. In taking the old name for
the new papers, he felt bound to say that he had uttered unwise things
under that title, and if it shall appear that his unwisdom has not
diminished by at least half while his years have doubled, he promises not
to repeat the experiment if he should live to double them again and
become his own grandfather.
Explanation
Detailed Explanation of the Excerpt from The Autocrat of the Breakfast-Table by Oliver Wendell Holmes
Context of the Work
The Autocrat of the Breakfast-Table (1858) is a collection of essays by Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr., a prominent 19th-century American physician, poet, and essayist. The work takes the form of a series of imaginary breakfast-table conversations among a group of characters, led by the "Autocrat," a witty, opinionated, and philosophical figure who dispenses wisdom, humor, and social commentary. The style is conversational, digressive, and aphoristic, blending humor with deeper reflections on language, human nature, and American culture.
Holmes was part of the Boston Brahmin literary circle (alongside figures like Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow) and was known for his playful yet erudite prose. The Autocrat reflects the intellectual and cultural climate of antebellum America, where questions of democracy, individualism, and artistic originality were prominent.
Analysis of the Excerpt
The passage consists of three distinct but thematically connected sections:
- The Poetry of Words vs. Sentences
- The Failed Universal Shout (A Parable of Human Folly)
- A Young Writer’s Self-Criticism and Growth
Each segment explores language, human nature, and the process of artistic maturation, often with irony, paradox, and wit.
1. “When I feel inclined to read poetry I take down my Dictionary…”
Themes:
- The Power of Individual Words – Holmes argues that single words can be as poetic (or even more so) than entire sentences or similes. He suggests that words carry historical weight, precision, and evocative power shaped by centuries of usage ("the attrition of ages").
- Language as a Living Organism – Words are like "gems" polished by time, implying that language evolves organically rather than being purely the invention of individual authors.
- The Humility of the Writer – Even the greatest poets are arrangers, not creators, of language’s inherent beauty.
Literary Devices:
- Metaphor – Words as "gems" (precious, refined, naturally formed).
- Paradox – A dictionary (a utilitarian reference) is presented as a source of poetry, challenging conventional ideas of where beauty resides.
- Hyperbole – The claim that a single word can outshine the "finest simile" is an exaggeration to make a point about linguistic efficiency.
- Allusion – The idea that words are shaped by time echoes Romantic and transcendentalist views of language (e.g., Emerson’s belief in the divine origin of words).
Significance:
Holmes is democratizing poetry—suggesting that beauty is not just in grand literary works but in the everyday building blocks of language. This reflects his scientific background (he was a physician) and his belief in empirical, observable truth over ornamental rhetoric.
2. “Once on a time, a notion was started, that if all the people in the world would shout at once…”
Themes:
- Human Folly and Collective Absurdity – The story is a satirical fable about a ridiculous plan (shouting in unison to be heard on the moon) that fails because everyone is too busy listening. It mocks human vanity, herd mentality, and the futility of grand schemes.
- The Irony of Silence – The world becomes unnaturally quiet because everyone is waiting to hear the shout, illustrating how obsession with being heard leads to collective silence.
- The Failure of Coordination – Despite elaborate preparations (chronometers, global agreement), the plan collapses due to human imperfection (the deaf man and the woman in Pekin).
Literary Devices:
- Fable/Parable – A short, allegorical story with a moral.
- Irony – The expectation of noise results in absolute silence.
- Hyperbole – The idea of a global shout being heard on the moon is absurd, emphasizing human overestimation of their own importance.
- Satire – Mocks human arrogance in thinking they can achieve the impossible through sheer numbers.
- Cosmic Perspective – The moon (a distant, indifferent celestial body) serves as a symbol of the universe’s indifference to human endeavors.
Significance:
This passage critiques 19th-century American optimism and expansionism—a time when people believed in manifest destiny, technological progress, and collective action. Holmes deflates this hubris by showing how even the most organized human efforts can be undone by their own flaws.
The story also reflects Holmes’ skepticism toward utopian schemes, a theme that resonates with later modernist and absurdist literature (e.g., Beckett’s Waiting for Godot, where action is perpetually deferred).
3. “A young fellow of two or three and twenty has as good a right to spoil a magazine-full of essays…”
Themes:
- Artistic Growth and Failure – Holmes compares a young writer’s early, flawed essays to a surgeon’s failed operations or a dandy’s sartorial mistakes. Mistakes are necessary for mastery.
- American Youth and Self-Will – The "self-willed youth" represents 19th-century American individualism, which Holmes sees as both a strength and a flaw. Young Americans are given "the spur" (encouragement) when they need "the rein" (discipline).
- Generational Reflection – The narrator (likely Holmes himself) reflects on his own past errors under the same title (The Autocrat), acknowledging that wisdom comes with age—but not necessarily in direct proportion.
- Forgiveness and Humility – He hopes his past "unwise things" are forgotten, but since few remember them, he playfully accepts his own fallibility.
Literary Devices:
- Analogy – Writing essays is likened to a surgeon practicing on eyes or Brummell (a famous dandy) tying cravats. This normalizes failure as part of the learning process.
- Irony – The young writer’s confidence ("unchastised fancies") contrasts with the older narrator’s self-deprecating humor.
- Metaphor – "Unripe fruit" suggests immature, underdeveloped work flooding the literary market.
- Paradox – The idea of becoming "his own grandfather" (if he lives to double his age twice) is a whimsical, impossible scenario, underscoring the absurdity of expecting perfection.
Significance:
This section is autobiographical and meta-literary. Holmes is:
- Defending young writers’ right to fail in an era when American literature was still finding its voice.
- Critiquing the flood of mediocre writing in a democratic, expanding print culture (a concern shared by contemporaries like Edgar Allan Poe, who complained about the "magazine system").
- Modeling intellectual humility—a rare quality in an age of self-promotion and manifest destiny.
His playful tone masks a serious point: true art requires both freedom and discipline, and wisdom is not guaranteed by age alone.
Overarching Themes in the Excerpt
- Language as a Living, Evolving Force – Words are not just tools but organic, historical entities.
- Human Folly and the Limits of Collective Action – Grand schemes often fail due to human nature’s quirks.
- The Necessity of Failure in Art and Life – Mistakes are inevitable and instructive.
- American Individualism vs. Discipline – The tension between self-expression and self-control in a young nation.
- Humility in the Face of Time – Neither words nor people are perfectible; both are shaped by forces beyond their control.
Literary and Historical Significance
- Holmes’ Style – His conversational, witty, and digressive prose influenced later American essayists like Mark Twain and humorists like Robert Benchley.
- Transitional Figure – Holmes bridges Romanticism (emphasis on nature, emotion) and Realism (observation, skepticism). His focus on language and human behavior foreshadows modernist concerns.
- American Literary Identity – At a time when American writers were struggling to define themselves against European traditions, Holmes celebrates the vernacular, the imperfect, and the experimental.
- Satire of Progress – His skepticism toward grand human schemes anticipates later critiques of technological utopianism (e.g., Huxley, Orwell).
Conclusion: Why This Passage Matters
This excerpt encapsulates Holmes’ unique blend of wit, wisdom, and skepticism. He:
- Elevates the ordinary (dictionaries, failed essays) to the level of art.
- Exposes human pretensions with gentle, humorous satire.
- Embraces imperfection as part of the creative and human experience.
His work remains relevant because it challenges the reader to see beauty in unexpected places, to laugh at human folly, and to accept that growth—whether in language, society, or oneself—is a messy, ongoing process.
Would you like a deeper dive into any particular aspect, such as Holmes’ influence on later writers or the historical context of The Autocrat?