One does not argue about The Wind in the Willows.
Interpretation
The quote suggests that certain stories, like 'The Wind in the Willows,' stand on their own merit and evoke strong feelings that are beyond argument.
A. A. Milne's quote highlights the intrinsic value of classic literature, specifically 'The Wind in the Willows.' It implies that the emotional and aesthetic experience offered by such works is profound and universally understood, making it futile to debate their significance or quality. Instead, readers are encouraged to embrace the feelings and memories these stories invoke.
In practice
In a book club discussion, one might reference Milne's quote when sharing their love for classic adaptations.
And how are you?" said Winnie-the-Pooh. Eeyore shook his head from side to side. "Not very how," he said. "I don't seem to have felt at all how for a long time." "Dear, dear," said Pooh, "I'm sorry about that. Let's have a look at you.
Piglet was so excited at the idea of being Useful that he forgot to be frightened any more, and when Rabbit went on to say that Kangas were only Fierce during the winter months, being at other times of an Affectionate Disposition, he could hardly sit still, he was so eager to begin being useful at once.
Time is swift, it races by; Opportunities are born and die... Still you wait and will not try - A bird with wings who dares not rise and fly.
Did I miss?" you asked. "You didn't exactly miss," said Pooh, "But you missed the balloon." "I'm so sorry," you said, and you fired again, and this time you hit the balloon and the air came slowly out, and Winnie-the-Pooh floated down to the ground.
Come, come, come. Without a monster or two it's not a quest, merely a gaggle of friends wandering about.
Friendship," said Christopher Robin, "is a very comforting thing to have.
A book is sent out into the world, and there is no way of fully anticipating the responses it will elicit. Consider the responses called forth by the Bible, Homer, Shakespeare - let alone contemporary poetry or a modern novel.
There were epochs in the history of humanity in which the writer was a sacred person. He wrote the sacred books, universal books, the codes, the epic, the oracles. Sentences inscribed on the walls of the crypts; examples in the portals of the temples. But in those times the writer was not an individual alone; he was the people.
As a reader I loathe introductions...Introductions inhibit pleasure, they kill the joy of anticipation, they frustrate curiosity.
Literature is as old as speech. It grew out of a human need for it, and it has not changed except to become more needed
Literature takes a habit of mind that has disappeared. It requires silence, some form of isolation, and sustained concentration in the presence of an enigmatic thing.
Some Native American writers enjoy being called Native American writers.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.