Parson Weems
Today's word of the day is not really a word but a cultural reference. I was unfamiliar with it when I came across it.
Word of the Day: Parson Weems
Context: As for his seven middlebrow historical novels, Andrew ferguson sadit the last word about them when eh declared that theri author "filled more readers' heads with historical crapola than anyone sience Parson Weems."
Source: National Review; p 44, Dec. 7, 2015; Not Enough to Succeed, by Terry Teachout.
Parson Weems: Mason Locke Weems (October 11, 1759 – May 23, 1825), usually referred to as Parson Weems, was an American book agent and author who wrote the first biography of George Washington immediately after his death. He was the source of some of the apocryphal stories about Washington. The tale of the cherry tree ("I cannot tell a lie, I did it with my little hatchet") is included in the fifth edition of The Life of Washington (1809 imprint, originally published 1800), a bestseller that depicted Washington's virtues and was intended to provide a morally instructive tale for the youth of the young nation.(link)
Parson Weems was a popular writer rather than a true historian. He is often cited as the creator of several enduring myths about the American Revolution.
Word of the Day: Parson Weems
Context: As for his seven middlebrow historical novels, Andrew ferguson sadit the last word about them when eh declared that theri author "filled more readers' heads with historical crapola than anyone sience Parson Weems."
Source: National Review; p 44, Dec. 7, 2015; Not Enough to Succeed, by Terry Teachout.
Parson Weems: Mason Locke Weems (October 11, 1759 – May 23, 1825), usually referred to as Parson Weems, was an American book agent and author who wrote the first biography of George Washington immediately after his death. He was the source of some of the apocryphal stories about Washington. The tale of the cherry tree ("I cannot tell a lie, I did it with my little hatchet") is included in the fifth edition of The Life of Washington (1809 imprint, originally published 1800), a bestseller that depicted Washington's virtues and was intended to provide a morally instructive tale for the youth of the young nation.(link)
Parson Weems was a popular writer rather than a true historian. He is often cited as the creator of several enduring myths about the American Revolution.
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