Chapter Thirty-Two, #2: Who Let the Doggerel Out?

In Chapter 32, Campbell imagines himself becoming “a sort of Nazi Edgar Guest, writing a daily column of optimistic doggerel for daily papers around the world” (189). This would not, presumably, be happy fate, from Campbell’s perspective.

Read some of Edgar Guest’s poetry and decide for yourself if it is “optimistic doggerel.” Then try to write some “optimistic doggerel” yourself. Can you think of any reason why someone might feel contemptuous of Guest’s writing?

The video below is a bank ad featuring Ben Kingsley reciting the Guest poem "My Creed" from his book, Heap o' Livin' (1916).