Farnsworth's Classical English Metaphor (Farnsworth's Classical English series, 2)

“Insects are a natural source for the purpose, as they tend to be puny as well as odious.” With those words, Ward Farnsworth initiates coverage of the use of animals to insult humans in this enlightening, expansive, and entertaining volume. Mr. Farnsworth, a textbook definition of a polymath if there ever was one, uses an array of historical examples to construct his educational cruise through the very best of what has been written on the use of the metaphor. He weaves these excerpts together by interspersing his own guiding snippets that sparkle with brevity and wit. For example: “Clothes cover the body like a skin, but unlike a skin they come off. This makes them natural analogues to states of the self that may come and go.” Who writes like this anymore? And as long as we are asking questions: how on earth did Mr. Farnsworth unearth his examples, many of which are beyond obscure? He must have the memory of a supercomputer, the research budget of Croesus, or the recollection of Sherlock Holmes. But never mind that. Every page of this superb collection contains a feast, and you will approach the last pages as a sumo wrestler mourns the last few pieces of sushi.Don’t be puny. Don’t be odious. Buy this book.

Love this book. It's the best treatment of metaphor from a writer's standpoint that I am aware of. The preface describes it as an OED of comparisons, and that gets the effect right. The first chapter is about using animals to describe people. The second is about using nature to describe abstractions. There's a chapter on human biology, a chapter on architecture, a chapter on mythology, and about ten others. The discussions are illustrated with examples from English literature, and the examples are the best part. They make every page interesting. The book is also beautifully designed in terms of layout and typography. Great stuff for the writer or speaker.

This book is wondrous, though hard to put into a genre. It's offered as a book about rhetoric, and in a way it is, but I like it best for other reasons. It shows how the best writers have used metaphor to think about everything on earth. All kinds of thinkers are represented, and a giant range of topics is discussed-- philosophy, human nature, the mind, etc. It might be considered a history of imagination. I think it's fascinating.

I think I ordered this too quickly, without sufficient investigation. I was looking more for wisdom statements using Metaphor. This could provide some level of mild reading to help fall asleep at night; but I did not buy it to help my writing; but to see how metaphors were used in real wisdom statements by, naturally: wise writers.I do not default Ward Farnsworth, the author. I think I simply mis-understood the actual purpose of the writing itself.

Great addition to anyone’s library and helps to educate younger readers. Ultimately enjoyable for older readers

Quite easy to read and assimilateUseful for preachers and word painters.Requires a mental commitment to processExcellentDeserves a five star

Highly readable, enjoyable, and useful for writers who want to use analogies and metaphors to better communicate abstract or complex ideas. The plentiful examples are enjoyable, often amusing.

and that's not a metaphor for something else.