The One Hoss Shay / With its Companion Poems How the Old Horse Won the Bet & / The Broomstick Train

Name: The One Hoss Shay / With its Companion Poems How the Old Horse Won the Bet & / The Broomstick Train
Author: Oliver Wendell Holmes

By Oliver Wendell Holmes

Open in WeRead

Explore more books like this:

American Literature Humour Poetry

About This Book

A set of three narrative poems mixes comic satire and regional folk detail. One poem follows a craftsman who builds a carriage so uniformly constructed that it runs for exactly a century before failing all at once, yielding a wry moral about weakest links and workmanship. Another chronicles an aged trotting horse that, despite neglect and infirmity, unexpectedly outperforms expectations at the racetrack, stirring nostalgia for former prowess. The third treats a local witchcraft episode with eerie imagery and communal memory. Lightly ironic meter and colloquial voice knit together themes of durability, chance, and small-town life.

About the Author

Oliver Wendell Holmes

Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. was an American physician, poet, and essayist, known for his contributions to literature and his role in the development of American thought in the 19th century. He was a prominent figure in the literary circles of his time and is best remembered for his work "A Mortal Antipathy," which explores themes of love and social interaction through a unique narrative style. Holmes was also a key member of the Fireside Poets, a group that included notable contemporaries such as Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and James Russell Lowell. His essays, particularly those in "Medical Essays, 1842-1882," reflect his keen observations on society and culture, showcasing his wit and intellect.