Subj : Stephen Leacock again
To   : alexander koryagin
From : Ardith Hinton
Date : Tue Jul 31 2018 23:52:07

Hi, Alexander!  Recently you wrote in a message to Ardith Hinton:

 ak>  This quote was taken from the humorous story "A lecture on
 ak>  walking" (Last leaves, 1945), written by Stephen Leacock.

 AH>  The thought occurs to me, BTW, that the title "LAST LEAVES"
 AH>  is a pun.  This collection was published the year after
 AH>  Leacock's death... and in English the word "leaf" can be
 AH>  used to mean a single page of a book.  If I stop there,
 AH>  the pun is recognizable as such.  But I'd also like to add
 AH>  that metaphorically we say we're "taking a leaf from
 AH>  [So-and-So's] book" when we are doing just as another
 AH>  person would have done or we've adopted an idea from them.

 ak>  Maybe LAST LEAVES was a collection of the last Leacock's
 ak>  stories


          I'd say "of the last of Leacock's stories" there.  I doubt the author 
was "the last Leacock" because he had younger siblings & a son of his own.  ;-)



 ak>  published by somebody? Although he could feel that
 ak>  it were his last leaves.


          According to the preface this collection was gathered together by his 
niece, Barbara Nimmo, who had lived with him for a year & done secretarial work 
for him.  It would probably have included some of the last things he wrote, and 
I reckon whoever chose the title understood his sense of humour.  I notice that 
in his "lecture" he complains about being forced to retire at sixty-five... yet 
he plays the role of Old Phart who knows things worth knowing to the hilt.  :-)



 ak>  O. Henri


          Pun alert!  "Henri" is the French spelling of "Henry".  Over Here "OH 
HENRY!" is the name of a candy bar.  Which came first?  Since I've been reading 
up on Stephen Leacock I think it's somebody else's turn.  :-Q



 ak>  is very well known writer in Russia,
        |a very well-known writer

 ak>  and of course I read his "The Last Leaf".


          Ah.  It's not always easy for me to be sure who or what is well-known 
in SomePlace Else &/or which material is available in English.  I was surprised 
to hear your copy of LAST LEAVES was published Over There because as a Canadian 
I'm still getting used to the idea that other folks realize there's intelligent 
life in the Land of Ice & Snow north of the 49th parallel.  In many ways I find 
it less surprising that Russians would be familiar with the work of a USAian... 
but both authors predate the sort of clever merchandising we see nowadays.  :-)



 ak>  A touching story, indeed.


          Yes.  Another which I particularly enjoyed was "The Gift of the Magi" 
(1905).  Judging by the number of spinoffs, I guess I'm not alone in that.  :-)




--- timEd/386 1.10.y2k+
 * Origin: Wits' End, Vancouver CANADA (1:153/716)

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