The Merry Heart
Encyclopedia
The Merry Heart, first published by McClelland and Stewart
in 1996
, is a collection of writings by Canadian
novelist Robertson Davies
. It consists of reminiscences, speeches, book review
s, parodies and essay
s written over a period from 1980 to 1995, the year of Davies' death. Davies had planned the volume before his death.
The Merry Heart touches on themes that were near to Davies' heart, and that ran through his work: reading, literature
, magic
, Canada
and Canadian literature
, and ghost stories
.
The book opens with a quotation from the Book of Proverbs
: "A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones." (Proverbs 17:22).
The Merry Heart was followed in 1997
by a companion volume, Happy Alchemy
.
McClelland and Stewart
McClelland & Stewart Limited is a Canadian publishing company. It is partially owned by Random House of Canada, now a subsidiary of Bertelsmann....
in 1996
1996 in literature
The year 1996 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*Harper Lee's novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, is removed from an advanced placement English reading list in Lindale, Texas because it "conflicted with the values of the community."* In the United Kingdom, the first...
, is a collection of writings by Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
novelist Robertson Davies
Robertson Davies
William Robertson Davies, CC, OOnt, FRSC, FRSL was a Canadian novelist, playwright, critic, journalist, and professor. He was one of Canada's best-known and most popular authors, and one of its most distinguished "men of letters", a term Davies is variously said to have gladly accepted for himself...
. It consists of reminiscences, speeches, book review
Book review
A book review is a form of literary criticism in which a book is analyzed based on content, style, and merit. A book review could be a primary source opinion piece, summary review or scholarly review. It is often carried out in periodicals, as school work, or on the internet. Reviews are also often...
s, parodies and essay
Essay
An essay is a piece of writing which is often written from an author's personal point of view. Essays can consist of a number of elements, including: literary criticism, political manifestos, learned arguments, observations of daily life, recollections, and reflections of the author. The definition...
s written over a period from 1980 to 1995, the year of Davies' death. Davies had planned the volume before his death.
The Merry Heart touches on themes that were near to Davies' heart, and that ran through his work: reading, literature
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
, magic
Magic (paranormal)
Magic is the claimed art of manipulating aspects of reality either by supernatural means or through knowledge of occult laws unknown to science. It is in contrast to science, in that science does not accept anything not subject to either direct or indirect observation, and subject to logical...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and Canadian literature
Canadian literature
Canadian literature is literature originating from Canada. Collectively it is often called CanLit. Some criticism of Canadian literature has focused on nationalistic and regional themes, although this is only a small portion of Canadian Literary criticism...
, and ghost stories
Ghost story
A ghost story may be any piece of fiction, or drama, or an account of an experience, that includes a ghost, or simply takes as a premise the possibility of ghosts or characters' belief in them. Colloquially, the term can refer to any kind of scary story. In a narrower sense, the ghost story has...
.
The book opens with a quotation from the Book of Proverbs
Book of Proverbs
The Book of Proverbs , commonly referred to simply as Proverbs, is a book of the Hebrew Bible.The original Hebrew title of the book of Proverbs is "Míshlê Shlomoh" . When translated into Greek and Latin, the title took on different forms. In the Greek Septuagint the title became "paroimai paroimiae"...
: "A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones." (Proverbs 17:22).
The Merry Heart was followed in 1997
1997 in literature
The year 1997 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*Tom Clancy signs a book deal with Pearson Custom Publishing and Penguin Putnam Inc. , giving him US$50 million for the world-English rights to two new books . A second agreement gives him another US$25 million for a...
by a companion volume, Happy Alchemy
Happy Alchemy
Happy Alchemy, first published by McClelland and Stewart in 1997, is a collection of writings by Canadian novelist Robertson Davies.The collection was edited after Davies' death in 1995 by his literary executors: his wife Brenda and daughter Jennifer....
.