That was the way with Casaubon's hard intellectual labours. Their most characteristic result was not the 'Key to all Mythologies', but a morbid consciousness that others did not give him the place which he had not demonstrably merited - a perpetual suspicious conjecture that the views entertained of him were not to his advantage - a melancholy absence of passion in his efforts at achievement, and a passionate resistance to the confession that he had achieved nothing.Thus his intellectual ambition which seemed to others to have absorbed and dried him, was really no security against wounds
Casaubon’s intense intellectual efforts did not yield the recognition he desired, leading to a sense of exclusion and suspicion towards others’ perceptions of him. Instead of producing significant scholarly contributions, such as the anticipated 'Key to all Mythologies,' his work resulted in a deep-seated awareness of his inadequacies and a lingering doubt about how he was viewed by his peers. This ongoing internal struggle reflected a disconnect between his ambitions and actual accomplishments.
While Casaubon appeared to be consumed by his scholarly pursuits, this very ambition left him feeling emotionally unfulfilled and wounded. His relentless drive for achievement may have seemed impressive to onlookers, yet it masked a painful resistance to acknowledging his lack of real success. Ultimately, his intellectual endeavors did not shelter him from the vulnerabilities of insecurity and disappointment.
