meaning of 'The knights of the red pen'
Hi, the poem below is the acknowledgement of a story book and I need some help to understand the meaning of two parts of it. 1) The knights of the red pen, 2) The paperboys and papergirls of all of my requests

"And so the story’s finished now,
The pages will turn blank,
Perhaps we’ll meet another time,
And for that, I thank:
You, of course, the reader who reached the very end!
The people of facts and figures,
The knights of the red pen,
The paperboys and papergirls of all of my requests,
The muses, yes, the muses—for never making any sense!
And finally, the universe, for allowing it all to be,
For I suppose things could have gone quite differently,
If I were, instead, a bee!"

Question

meaning of 'The knights of the red pen'
Hi, the poem below is the acknowledgement of a story book and I need some help to understand the meaning of two parts of it. 1) The knights of the red pen, 2) The paperboys and papergirls of all of my requests

"And so the story’s finished now,
The pages will turn blank,
Perhaps we’ll meet another time,
And for that, I thank:
You, of course, the reader who reached the very end!
The people of facts and figures,
The knights of the red pen,
The paperboys and papergirls of all of my requests,
The muses, yes, the muses—for never making any sense!
And finally, the universe, for allowing it all to be,
For I suppose things could have gone quite differently,
If I were, instead, a bee!"

Answer

I am quite sure that "knights of the red pen" means "editors."

Editors used to use red and blue pencils, and I suppose pens as well, to mark corrections and write comments on manuscripts. Stationery stores used to carry pencils without erasers, that could be sharpened at both ends, with red lead at one end and blue end at the other.

The phrase "the pen is mightier than the sword" connects the idea of wielding a pen and a sword. An editor who wields a pen might jokingly be called a "knight."

It would help to know the title and author of the passage. This is a kind of humor that might be called "droll" or "whimsical." The author is thanking the people that helped him. He is engaging in mock-heroics. He is half-imitating serious and dignified way writers used to introduce their work. The writers of classical antiquity used to begin by invoke their muses, goddesses responsible for creativity. He is joking about thanking his muses even though the ideas they give him make no sense. "The people of facts and figures" sound like fact-checkers at serious magazines like _The New Yorker._

Answer

Red pens are often used to correct writing in school - so I think the author is granting hero status to her editors.
Papergirls/boys are the 13 or so year-old kids who deliver newspapers, so I think the author is thanking all the people who have run little tedious errands for her during the writing.

Answer

I think he is thanking the people involved in bringing the book to fruition.
People of facts and figures - maybe the publishers, and the financial side.
Knights of the red pen - maybe editors, they use red pens.
The paperboys and papergirls - not sure, ? researchers or maybe people involved with the production of the book in some other way.

Answers · 3

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