The climax of The Wind of the Willows takes place after Toad escapes from prison and evicts the stoats and weasels that have taken over his house, Toad Hall. With the help of Badger, Mole, and Rat, Toad follows a secret tunnel into his house and attacks the intruders, who flee. At the celebration that Toad gives afterward, he humbly thanks his friends and is finally aware of the value of their friendship. This marks the climax of the action because the book has been filled up until this point with ongoing action, including Toad's constant road accidents and his failure to heed his friends. After Toad and his friends retake Toad Hall, Toad recognizes what is truly valuable--his friends--and decides to live peacefully and responsibly ever after. The action falls after Toad retakes his house and settles down to a quiet and happy life with his friends.
Does anybody know the etymology of the phrase "sweet dreams"? I tried googling but did not find anything satisfying. Is this a relatively new phrase of the modern world or has this been in use for some time? I think it's the latter one. Answer The OED has the interjection as "a farewell to someone going to bed" from the 20th century: 1908 Sears Roebuck Catal. 198/1 Tenor Solos..Good Bye, Sweet Dreams, Good Bye. But it goes back until at least the 19th and possibly 18th centuries. John Wolcot, writing under the pseudonym of Peter Pindar, used it in his poem "Orson and Ellen; A Legendary Tale" published in 1801: Also from 1801 in The infernal Quixote (Page 287) by Charles Lucas: In the March 1776 of The Universal Magazine was published "The Serenade. A Pastoral Tale. From the German of Gesner" , where the shepherd Daphnis watches over his beloved as she sleeps and sings: The same tale appears in 1776's as Idyl XI, " Daphnis ...
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