Word: florid
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 1890-1899
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...Life of Washington, and a history of the United States, for reading; a wooden fire shovel scraped clean and a coal for writing materials, enabled his eager intelligence to make a better start than many a more favored boy achieves in the best schools. And after a somewhat florid period of youth, his style of writing and speaking became extraordinarily simple and impressive. Lincoln's practice as a country lawyer, his repeated terms in the Legislature of Illinois and even his three years in Congress brought him little reputation; but all these experiences of course were unconscious preparation...
...facilities for acquiring skill in public argument. An appreciation of the defects of our present attainments is the only thing which can give us any prospect of continued success. The experience of the past few years indicates plainly the lines along which improvement must come. The fact that florid and pompous oratory is becoming more and more discredited shows that precision in thought, clearness and force in argument are becoming recognized as the chief objects in debate. The large possibilities for improvement in this direction must be admitted and no one, certainly, is better qualified to speak about them than...
...Sheridan Knowles, who wrote only three novels which have been permanently successful: "The Hunchback," "The Love Chase," and "Virginius." These plays belong neither to the old comedy nor to the romantic drama, but have some of the characteristics of each. In "Hunchback," there is much blank verse that is florid and uninspired and there is a poverty of romance. The people have the artificial emblems of character rather than character itself. In the character of Julia, Julia Myrlowe is charming, but one must see that it is she that is charming, not the part, to which she is hardly equal...
Colonel Higginson began his lecture by a definition of what was characterized as the "Boston Style" before the rebellion, and showed how this had become florid, almost turgid, because of its origin and developement from the firm belief of the Boston public in the literary superiority of Dr. Johnson, and because of its foundation in the Latin. It had an easy flow of eloquent words, but was absolutely lacking in conciseness and brevity. This style was the personification of that inflated diction which required translation by inverse ratio and which Dr. Johnson, Rufus Choate, and Carlyle to a certain extent...
...singing is always interesting. She was heard to especially good advantage in Sanders Theatre, as in a larger hall her voice might sound forced and thin. Later in the evening Miss Franklin sang an air by Herold, with a violin obbligato played by Mr. Kneisel. This air was more florid than the other. and it was sung with remarkable purity of tone and with considerable dramatic feeling...