miércoles, junio 21, 2006
Cheering up
Us 'happy few' who are fortunately somewhat more educated than the rest are also, as we all know, more susceptible to terrible disappointment. No wonder the figure of Melancholy is a scholar. As you can see, I have currently been riding the waves of sombre depression and despair over the state of the country. I am not really, as you know, of the Melancholic disposition in general but sometimes one can't help noticing that 'something is rotten in the state of Mexico' (and the world in general, perhaps). But gloom and despair have been slowly dispelled by a conjunction of many things, one of which is the book I am currently reading, which is giving me hours of enjoyment.
Here is a very short extract which got a laugh out of me:
It was not only the Admiralty -- the War Office and all the other departments of Government had reason to rejoice at the advent of Jonathan Strange. Suddenly a good many things which had been difficult before were made easy. The King's Ministers had long treasured a plan to send the enemies of Britain bad dreams. The Foreign Secreatry had first proposed it in January 1808 and for over a year Mr Norrell had industriously sent the Emperor Napoleon Buonaparte a bad dream each night, as a result of which nothing had happened. Bounaparte's empire had not foundered and Buonaparte himself had ridden into battle as coolly as ever. And so eventually Mr Norrell was instructed to leave off. Privately Sir Walter and Mr Canning thought that the plan had failed because Mr Norrell had no talent for creating horrors. Mr Canning complained that the nightmares Mr Norrell had sent the Emperor (which chiefly concerned a captain of Dragoons hiding in Buonaparte's wardrobe) would scarecly frighten his children's governess let alone the conqueror of half of Europe. For a while he had tried to persuade the other Ministers that they should commision Mr Beckford, Mr Lewis and Mrs Radcliffe to create dreams of vivid horor that Mr Norrell could then pop into Buonaparte's head. But the other Ministers considered that to employ a magician was one thing, novelists were quite another and they would not stoop to it.
Us 'happy few' who are fortunately somewhat more educated than the rest are also, as we all know, more susceptible to terrible disappointment. No wonder the figure of Melancholy is a scholar. As you can see, I have currently been riding the waves of sombre depression and despair over the state of the country. I am not really, as you know, of the Melancholic disposition in general but sometimes one can't help noticing that 'something is rotten in the state of Mexico' (and the world in general, perhaps). But gloom and despair have been slowly dispelled by a conjunction of many things, one of which is the book I am currently reading, which is giving me hours of enjoyment.
Here is a very short extract which got a laugh out of me:
It was not only the Admiralty -- the War Office and all the other departments of Government had reason to rejoice at the advent of Jonathan Strange. Suddenly a good many things which had been difficult before were made easy. The King's Ministers had long treasured a plan to send the enemies of Britain bad dreams. The Foreign Secreatry had first proposed it in January 1808 and for over a year Mr Norrell had industriously sent the Emperor Napoleon Buonaparte a bad dream each night, as a result of which nothing had happened. Bounaparte's empire had not foundered and Buonaparte himself had ridden into battle as coolly as ever. And so eventually Mr Norrell was instructed to leave off. Privately Sir Walter and Mr Canning thought that the plan had failed because Mr Norrell had no talent for creating horrors. Mr Canning complained that the nightmares Mr Norrell had sent the Emperor (which chiefly concerned a captain of Dragoons hiding in Buonaparte's wardrobe) would scarecly frighten his children's governess let alone the conqueror of half of Europe. For a while he had tried to persuade the other Ministers that they should commision Mr Beckford, Mr Lewis and Mrs Radcliffe to create dreams of vivid horor that Mr Norrell could then pop into Buonaparte's head. But the other Ministers considered that to employ a magician was one thing, novelists were quite another and they would not stoop to it.
Comments:
Publicar un comentario