Chapter 37 Literati's study (2)

So, you can find a different landscape for every different mood.And I have no doubt that such an ingenious contraption has done no small favor in promoting the harmony and prosperity of the bookworms in my friend's house.As for myself, it is true that once I have a bookstore, I am not easily affected by the external environment.I don't care a bit whether the view from my library is a garden or a desert.Just give me dear companions in leather, cloth, or wood, and to me God sends storms, or suns, flowers or hail, light or darkness, noise or peace, What does it matter.I understand and admit, however, that circumstances mean more to most people, and I applaud Dr. Aurel's universal device with the utmost enthusiasm.

I have always thought that De Quincey's study delighted me.The thing that particularly irritated De Quincey was the way books and manuscripts kept getting in the way.He piled them all over the table, one after the other, until at last there was only a narrow passage from the desk to the fireplace, and from the fireplace to the door.And his writing desk--good guy!On top of Mount Osa, there is another Mount Pelion [In Greek mythology, the giants tried to ascend to heaven to attack the gods in the sky, and stacked Mount Pelion on top of Mount Osa to climb Mount Olympus. 】The chaotic scene must be like this.

De Quincey, however, insisted that he knew "the exact location of everything," and he was only strict with his servants not to attempt vandalism such as "cleaning" in his study.Naturally, before long, when there was no more space left on the desk, and the narrow passage leading to the fireplace and the door was indistinct, De Quincey sighed, locked the door, and Create a new battlefield for yourself.After going back and forth like this, in the end, it was exactly like the previous room, lost and messed up, with no way out. From all the evidence that could be gathered, De Quincey's handling of the book was careless enough.I read somewhere (I forget where) that this fellow used his forefinger as a paper knife, and that he had no problem with the old folios he had borrowed. Not soft-hearted.However, he was extraordinarily gentle with his manuscripts.He used to keep a soft brush in his pocket, with which he used to dust the manuscript carefully before handing it over to the publisher.

Sir Walter Scott took similar care of his library, and dusted it with the end of a fox's tail embedded in a silver handle.In any case, Scott was meticulous and methodical in his collection of books.In his study room, there are many carefully selected small antiques, as well as interesting collections of pictures and cursive characters. For those visitors who love books or antiques, this place is a real paradise.Scott's fondness for early risers and Francis Geoffrey and famous. ] have an equal dislike for it, but both of these famous guys have a strong love for pets.Geoffrey was particularly fond of an aging, chattering old parrot and an equally disreputable puppy.Scott was such a loyal friend of the dogs that wherever he went he took with him one or two (sometimes a whole litter) of these faithful beasts for company.

In Mrs. Gordon's famous "Memoirs", we can see a vivid description of Professor Wilson's study.It's a complete mess: "His study is very strange, it may be called a mixture of order and disorganization, any piece of paper or any book, he can find it in the blink of an eye, but for the casual To the eye, looking for something on purpose, it seems to be a mess." Wilson had no taste for fine furniture, and he seemed to enjoy a cluttered pile of books, not adhering to any system of classification.He had a habit of mixing books with fishing tackle.His charming biographer tells us that, in his study, we found "The Wealth of Nations," "A Boxing Anecdote," "The Faerie Queene," Jeremy Taylor and Ben Jonson with fishing rods, boxing gloves, and mics. It is not uncommon for tin cans to be close together.

Charles Lamb Lamb (1775-1834), English literary critic and essayist.With his sister Mary Ann Lamb (1764-1847), he co-wrote the children's book "Shakespeare's Tales" and a collection of essays. 】The favorite study is in an attic.On the walls of this room he and his sister had pasted old engravings and cheerful pictures, and the result was that the place looked cheerful.Lamb loves old books, old friends, and old times. "He escapes from the present and devotes himself to the future, while his emotions linger in the past." - Hazlitt said so.His favorite books seemed to be Bunyan's Holy War, Brown's Burial, Burton's Anatomy of Melancholy, Fuller's The Wise Men, Taylor's The Life and Death of Holiness.Thomas Westwood tells us that modern works are rare in Lamb's collection.It was his custom (and Hazlitt says it too) to give away or throw away books written by contemporaries that were given away.Barry Cornwall said: "Lamb's joy lies in reading books written by the older generation of British writers", and Lamb himself said in a memorable line: "I can't sit down and think - the book thinks for me. "

In addition, Wordsworth [William Wordsworth (1770-1850), a British poet, has made important contributions to the tradition of British Romantic poetry. In 1843, he was awarded the title of "Poet Laureate". ] I am not very interested in books.His library is very small, with no more than five hundred volumes in total.His inspiration does not come from books, but from nature.From everything I've heard about him, I've concluded he's a very uninteresting fellow.According to Alibon's description of him, he once said that he did not consider himself a funny poet. "Indeed, I don't think I've ever been very funny, except once in my life."