People
When a thought takes one's breath away, a lesson on grammar seems an impertinence.
— Thomas Wentworth Higginson
Behind the line May contain spoilers.
Our reading
An editorial interpretation.
Correcting someone's grammar can feel petty next to genuine astonishment. This line suggests that when language succeeds in stunning a reader, quibbling over its rules misses the point entirely. Wonder, in other words, outranks convention, at least for a moment.
Context reviewed