Page "Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr." Paragraph 62

Although mainly known as a poet, Holmes wrote numerous medical treatises, essays, novels, memoirs and table-talk books.

His prose works include topics that range from medicine to theology, psychology, society, democracy, sex and gender, and the natural world.

Author and critic William Dean Howells argued that Holmes created a genre called dramatized ( or discursive ) essay, in which major themes are informed by the story's plot, but his works often use a combination of genres ; excerpts of poetry, essays and conversations are often included throughout his prose.

Critic William Lawrence Schroeder described Holmes's prose style as " attractive " in that it " made no great demand on the attention of the reader.

" He further stated that although the author's earlier works ( The Autocrat and The Professor of the Breakfast-Table ) are " virile and fascinating ", later ones such as Our Hundred Days in Europe and Over the Teacups " have little distinction of style to recommend them.