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Literary
December 30, 1919
East St. Louis Daily Journal
East Saint Louis, Saint Clair County, Illinois
What is this article about?
Thomas Wentworth Higginson discusses the essence of American literature, arguing it requires more than technical skills; it draws from national ardor, energy, and spirit, metaphorically described as 'oxygen' in collective writing.
Clipping
OCR Quality
98%
Excellent
Full Text
Americanism in Literature.
It takes more than grammars and dictionaries to make a literature. Technical training may give the negative merits of style, as an elocutionist may help a public speaker by ridding him of tricks. But the positive force of writing or of speech must come from positive sources—ardor, energy, depth of feeling or of thought. No instruction ever gave these, only the inspiration of a great soul, the great need, or a great people. We all know what a vast deal of oxygen may go into the style of a man: we see in it not merely what books he has read, what company he has kept, but also the food he eats, the exercises he takes, the air he breathes. And so there is oxygen in the collective literature of a nation and it is by the presence of this oxygen that American literature is made great.—Thomas Wentworth Higginson.
It takes more than grammars and dictionaries to make a literature. Technical training may give the negative merits of style, as an elocutionist may help a public speaker by ridding him of tricks. But the positive force of writing or of speech must come from positive sources—ardor, energy, depth of feeling or of thought. No instruction ever gave these, only the inspiration of a great soul, the great need, or a great people. We all know what a vast deal of oxygen may go into the style of a man: we see in it not merely what books he has read, what company he has kept, but also the food he eats, the exercises he takes, the air he breathes. And so there is oxygen in the collective literature of a nation and it is by the presence of this oxygen that American literature is made great.—Thomas Wentworth Higginson.
What sub-type of article is it?
Essay
What themes does it cover?
Patriotism
What keywords are associated?
American Literature
National Spirit
Literary Inspiration
Oxygen Metaphor
What entities or persons were involved?
Thomas Wentworth Higginson.
Literary Details
Title
Americanism In Literature.
Author
Thomas Wentworth Higginson.
Key Lines
And So There Is Oxygen In The Collective Literature Of A Nation And It Is By The Presence Of This Oxygen That American Literature Is Made Great.