SOURCE: "Ethos of a Man of Letters," in The Emory University Quarterly, Vol. XIX, No. 3, Fall, 1963, pp. 137-43.

In the following essay, Lyle praises Morley as an outstanding poet, novelist, and man of letters. In addition, Lyle examines the various elements that constitute a typical Morley novel.

Read, every day, something no one else is reading. Think, every day, something no one else is thinking. Do, every day, something no one else will be silly enough to do. It is bad for the mind to be always part of unanimity.

These words appear in The Man Who Made Friends with Himself, a novel by Christopher Morley, published some fourteen years ago. Morley died in 1957.

In his day, Christopher Morley achieved what must certainly be the ambition of most writers: his books sold well, and at the same time received high praise from the best contemporary critics—Henry S...