An intelligent man said that the world felt Napoleon as a weight, and that when he died it would give a great oof of relief. This is just as true of Byron, or of such Byrons of their days as Kipling and Hemingway: after a generation or two the world is tired of being their pedestal, shakes them of with an oof, and then — hoisting onto its back a new world-figure — feels the penetrating satisfaction of having made a mistake all its own.
Randall Jarrell Carolinian
Source
“On Preparing to Read Kipling”, pp. 116–117
- work
- A Sad Heart at the Supermarket: Essays & Fables (1962)
- year
- 1962
- locator
- pp. 116–117
Cite this record
“An intelligent man said that the world felt Napoleon as a we…” Randall Jarrell. Carolina Quotes, record CQ-A38B5725AF. https://carolinaquotes.com/quote/a38b5725af
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