Life, 1913-09-11 · page 7 of 44
Life — September 11, 1913 — page 7: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page from *Life* magazine presents a "Poetical" section with verse definitions of literary themes—describing sonnets as "somniferous," love-laden lyrics as "ludicrous"—written by R.H. Dyer. The definitions are deliberately unflattering and cynical about poetic conventions. The illustration below, titled "The Freshman and the Graduates," depicts an indoor social gathering with formally dressed men and women in what appears to be an elegant venue with an organ visible. The scene suggests a college or university social event. The juxtaposition of the poetic definitions above—mocking literary pretense—with this image of social aspiration likely satirizes the artificiality and pretension of academic or collegiate social life, where formality masks genuine feeling.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
HEMES theoretical, thoughts unavailable ; Languorous limericks lame and unsalable; Epical episodes carnest and humorous; Pastoral pesterers painfully numerous; Sonnets somniferous, soulful insani Doubtful didactics deserving profanity ; Love-laden lyrics, ludicrous, spontancous ; Odes of an origin extemporancous ; Elegies elegant, ethical, literal ; Satires suavely sulphureous, cynical ; Meters monotonous, morals lamentable ; Haphazard harmonies, hardly presentable; Eagle-eyed editors, ever expecting, Receiving, refusing, returning, rejecting. R. H. Dyer. THE FRESHMAN AND THE GRADUATES comicbooks.com