|
|
|
|
|
|
 "'Yes, I know,' she went on; 'you are one of the people that believe that a rose is a rose. It is so many drachms of so many sorts of chemicals, and that's the end of it. But brother Jim and I—we don't think so. A rose is a great deal more than a rose; and the rose you see is a great deal less than the rose; and there's a conundrum for you.'" —Saxe Holm, "My Tourmaline," The Century Illustrated Monthly Magazine (1875)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Here's how Marcus J. Borg explains away all the magic of the metaphor, "My love is a red, red rose": "My beloved is not a rose, unless I am literally in love with a flower. Rather, there is something about my beloved that is like a rose." Gee, thanks, Mr. Borg. Meanwhile, against all odds, my own beloved is an entire bouquet (long-stemmed). --- Chris writes: Of course, the lyric is "My love is *like* a red, red rose [that's newly sprung in June]"... which makes the exegesis extra redundant.
|
Original Content Copyright © 2026 by Craig Conley. All rights reserved.
|
"In literary terms, 'a rose is a rose is a rose,' is what it is: a rose. It is the opposite of a trope."
