MDDM18: German

[Mutualcode at aol.com]

In a message dated 1/31/02 12:30:42 AM, Mutualcode at aol.com writes:

<< Samuel Johnson's take on enthusiasm/enthusiast might shed some light
since it is the 18th century. As usual, he doesn't mince words:

http://www.english.upenn.edu/~jlynch/Frank/Contexts/sjenthus.html
 >>

If applied to Dixon, it could refer to his tendency toward the sanguine, while
at the same time undercutting, somewhat, his thinly veiled self-confidence:

"In my Conferentor Box, I learn'd to read what shapes lay beneath the Earth,
all in the Needles Dance...?" (301.5)

Maybe he's just trying to impress Dolly, in which case, she does a the job
herself.