--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: and the very old men--some in their…" description: "\"“and the very old men--some in their brushed Confederate uniforms--on the porch and the lawn, talking of Miss Emily as if she had been a contemporary o..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/681/william-faulkner-306_confederate_and-the-very-old-men-some-in-their-brush_847774.png" --- # and the very old men--some in their brushed Confederate… ![“and the very old men--some in their brushed Confederate uniforms--on the porch and the lawn, talking of Miss Emily as if she had been a contemporary of theirs, believing that they had danced with her and courted her perhaps, confusing time with its mathematical progression, as the old do, to whom…” quote by William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/681/william-faulkner-306_confederate_and-the-very-old-men-some-in-their-brush_847774.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/681/william-faulkner-306_confederate_and-the-very-old-men-some-in-their-brush_847774.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/681/william-faulkner-306_confederate_and-the-very-old-men-some-in-their-brush_847774.png) > ““and the very old men--some in their brushed Confederate uniforms--on the porch and the lawn, talking of Miss Emily as if she had been a contemporary of theirs, believing that they had danced with her and courted her perhaps, confusing time with its mathematical progression, as the old do, to whom all the past is not a diminishing road but, instead, a huge meadow which no winter ever quite touches, divided from them now by the narrow bottleneck of the most recent decade of years.”” [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Older generations romanticize the past, seeing it as an endless, untouched meadow rather than a linear timeline. **In simple terms:** Old people view past as endless meadow. Key Takeaway Recognize how nostalgia shapes perception of time. Themes nostalgia memory time generational perspective Mood reflective melancholic thoughtful Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - family gatherings - historical tours - literary analysis - intergenerational dialogues Key Concepts Romanticism historical perception subjective reality Questions to Reflect On - How does nostalgia affect decision making? - What aspects of the past are truly timeless? A Different Perspective Such idealization can ignore progress and present challenges. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Confederate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confederate/) [Modernity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/modernity/) [Old men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-men/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“They held the funeral on the second day, with the town coming to look at Miss Emily beneath a mass of bought flowers with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/they-held-the-funeral-on-the-second-day-with-the-town-coming-to-look/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [ “...the very old men \[...\] believing that they had danced with her and courted her perhaps, confusing time with its mathematical progression, as the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/the-very-old-men-believing-that-they-had-danced-with-her-and-courted/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [U can't build a good future with anyone if ur still dwelling on old past relationship issues.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carilenae/u-can-t-build-a-good-future-with-anyone-if-ur-still-dwelling-on-old/) [CariLenae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carilenae/) > [To me, literature is a calling, even a kind of salvation. 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We have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-stevenson/when-you-come-to-montgomery-you-see-fifty-nine-monuments-and/) [Bryan Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-stevenson/) > [What I’m talking about is more than recompense for past injustices—more than a handout, a payoff, hush money, or a reluctant bribe. What I’m…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ta-nehisi-coates/what-i-m-talking-about-is-more-than-recompense-for-past-injustices/) [Ta-Nehisi Coates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ta-nehisi-coates/) > [South Carolina, as a matter of compromise, displays the Confederate flag on a flagpole in front of the state capitol. Because I grew up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edwards/south-carolina-as-a-matter-of-compromise-displays-the-confederate/) [John Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edwards/) ## More by William Faulkner > [“The river itself is not a hundred yards across, and pa and Vernon and Vardaman and Dewey Dell are the only things in sight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/the-river-itself-is-not-a-hundred-yards-across-and-pa-and-vernon-and/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [The quality an artist must have is objectivity in judging his work, plus the honesty and courage not to kid himself about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/the-quality-an-artist-must-have-is-objectivity-in-judging-his-work/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [“Luster returned, wearing a stiff new straw hat with a colored band and carrying a cloth cap. 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Many were like Amy Clarke, who enlisted so she could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-collins/an-estimated-400-women-disguised-themselves-as-men-to-fight-in-the/) [Gail Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-collins/) > [“A rump group of rebel soldiers formed a colony west of Vera Cruz called Carlota, which soon burgeoned into a community of five thousand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-chernow/a-rump-group-of-rebel-soldiers-formed-a-colony-west-of-vera-cruz/) [Ron Chernow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-chernow/) > [What do you call a co-worker these days? Neither teammate nor confederate will do, and partner is too legalistic. The answer brought from academia…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-safire/what-do-you-call-a-co-worker-these-days-neither-teammate-nor/) [William Safire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-safire/) > [We are all naturally seekers of wonders. 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