Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Epigrams and a book review

From the cover of How to Live by Henry Alford
I snagged this picture of the dog on the front cover of Henry Alford's book How to Live: A Search for Wisdom from Old People. I mentioned this book a while back, but I had bought four different books that day and was proceeding to read through a few of them. This book was started and after I got bogged down in the middle sections, I put it aside.

Yesterday, though, I finished the book and am so glad I did. The book is made up of interviews that Henry had with various elders, some famous and some not. The middle of the book is taken up with the drama of his mother divorcing his stepfather and moving into a retirement community. Although it was interesting, I was anxious to find out what the other books I had purchased were about, so I lay it aside with my place marked. I picked it up again yesterday and read avidly until the end.

After Henry had interviewed all these people, he tried to figure out some way to distill down the information he had gleaned from all his research and went in search of what he calls "elderisms," little bits of information that you don't understand or know about until you're old. He started asking seniors at senior centers across the country and got a few responses, with such wise sayings as, "To get a good look at yourself, take yourself far away." He ran into a cool lady at the Azusa Senior Center in California who calls herself "the funny-sayings lady." She faxed him a list of 24 thoughts and sayings, including "The second mouse gets the cheese," and "Always read stuff that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it." Henry was excited to find more aphorisms like these. Here's an excerpt from p. 245 of Henry's book:
I came across the website of a 75-year-old named Ashleigh Brilliant. (Yes, that's the name he was born with.) The author of such well-traveled chestnuts as "I may not be totally perfect, but parts of me are excellent," ... Brilliant lays claim to being history's only full-time professional published aphorist or — as Brilliant calls himself and the Library of Congress has cataloged him — epigrammatist. Asked once by the Wall Street Journal if Oscar Wilde or La Rochefoucauld didn't also qualify for such a claim, Brilliant commented, "They weren't full-time."
I had run into some of Ashleigh's work before, since he's the one who wrote those postcards called "Pot-Shots," and I have some tucked away in my memories drawer. If you check out the link in the previous paragraph, which goes to Brilliant's website, you'll have access to all 10,000 of his copyrighted epigrams, for a price of course. Although I might be at risk of getting a phone call from him, I'm going to give you a few of the epigrammatic gems I found in Henry's book.
  • My life has a superb cast, but I can't figure out the plot.
  • I feel much better, now that I've given up hope.
  • Life is the only game in which the object of the game is to learn the rules.
  • If I can survive death, I can survive anything.
I learned that aphorisms, also known as epigrams or even elderisms, can lighten one's day immensely. The book was fun and revealing, and I did learn a lot about how wise and eccentric some old people are, and it's perfectly okay. It made feel that maybe I'm not such an odd duck; there are lots of old farts who make ME look normal!
:-)

20 comments:

  1. hahaha!!! What an amusing book and post, DJan! I wonder if the key to longevity is a sense of humor. After all, Bob Hope and George Burns both died after their 100th birthday!!!

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  2. Loved this. I am back from my blog break. Now I must catch up with reading blogs.

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  3. nice...this actually sounds like a rather enjoyable book...i am reading 6 billion others right now which is an interview of key questions with people around the world....

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  4. This book sounds wonderful. I'll check into it. I often pick up book suggestions from you.

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  5. Uhmm seems like an interesting book. Talking with senior citizens are one thing I so fond of, they talk about so many things which we can learn things which we aren't aware of. I remember when Grandmother is still around and she talks about how they survive during the war, I can't help but imagine how hard life is during those times, she keeps telling on stories that until now I haven't forgotten. Thanks for sharing. Btw I love your profile picture.

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  6. I love a book that makes me laugh out loud, but I seldom go looking for one!

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  7. This book sounds like a treasure! I've always loved "elders" but I really appreciate their wisdom more now. My favorite people were my grandparents, who were wise and wonderful, with delightful humor.

    Someone commented that the key to longevity is a sense of humor, and I think that could/should be true. It sure makes others much happier to be around old folks!

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  8. What an interesting concept for a book. As one who does a lot of genealogy research I certainly recommend long conversations with our elders. Many leads have come from stories told by my grandparents.

    I have always loved the saying, "The second mouse gets the cheese."

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  9. I really like your book reviews as I like hot tips on what to read.
    I just finished reading the history of the Atlantic and it was a struggle to keep at it. This one sounds like more fun as I have always liked quotes.

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  10. Eccentricity should be encouraged. Another of Brilliant's quotes (I am pretty sure) that I have always liked is: 'I try to take each day one at a time, but sometimes several of them attack me at once'.

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  11. Good humor seems like it's key. Also, the photo of the Sher Pei is kind of cute in a soft, wrinkly sort of way.

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  12. Those dogs amaze me. I always wondered how you could pick one up and hang onto it if it wiggled--LOL!

    So many funny sayings! Did you read the letter from his father in his "family" section? Fascinating!

    He sure sounds like a character! This was a delightful post! Thanks! :):)

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  13. That sounds like a fun read. I think he may have gone to the Yogi Berra school of "isms." Very clever.

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  14. "I feel much better now that I have given up hope!" What a great quote..I will use it someday:)

    I have always felt sorry for that wrinkly dog..:)

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  15. Another book for my must read list! Thanks.

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  16. One thing we gain when we get older is wisdom and a small book full of sayings! I'm sure you found this book very comforting and I love the picture. I could have done with that picture yesterday when I was doing my post, couldn't I?

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  17. for some odd reason - the one about giving up hope makes me feel hopeful :)

    I'm going to get the book, sounds wonderful
    thanks for the review

    love the dog

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  18. What fun! Or as my Uncle Walt used to say, "Ve gets too soon alt unt too late schmart." :)

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  19. OK, here's one of my pet peeves. Why are there three words all meaning the same thing: aphorisms, epigrams, or that other one that I can't remember? Now that I'm old it's hard enough to remember one!

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