]
In _Quips and Quiddits_ he loves to show that type of humor dependent on
unexpected changes in the meaning of words. The following lines illustrate
this characteristic:--
"To jewels her taste did incline;
But she had not a trinket to wear
Till she slept after taking quinine,
And awoke with a ring in each ear."
Tabb's power lay in condensing into a small compass a single thought or
feeling and giving it complete artistic expression. The more serious poems,
especially the sacred ones, sometimes seem to have too slight a body to
carry their full weight of thought, but the idea is always fully expressed,
no matter how narrow the compass of the verse. His poetry usually has the
qualities of lightness, airiness, and fancifulness.
JOEL CHANDLER HARRIS, 1848-1908
[Illustration: JOEL CHANDLER HARRIS]
Joel Chandler Harris was born at Eatonton, in the center of Georgia in
1848. He alludes to himself laughingly as "an uncultured Georgia cracker."
At the age of twelve, he was setting type for a country newspaper and
living upon the plantation of the wealthy owner of this paper, enjoying the
freedom of his well-selected library, hunting coons, possums, and rabbits
with his dogs, and listening to the stories told by his slaves.
Pages:
381
382
383
384
385
386
387
388
389
390
391
392
393
394
395
396
397
398
399
400
401
402
403
404
405