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UK bango

Misdirection: With, "... every idiot who goes about with 'Merry Christmas' on his lips should be boiled with his own pudding, and buried with a stake of holly through his heart. ..." Dickens cleverly excludes all who do not fall within that widely encompassing category,

I was tricked into attending ‘Christmas drinks' with a team of Management Consultants and Sales/Marketing executives last night. The kind of social gathering I normally avoid like the plague. However, in terms of value (inspiration and observational material for writing), the experience was priceless. I listened to one such champagne swilling (single) executive nonchalantly explaining how she’d spent £8,000 ($12,000) upon a tropical fish tank display and contents only to forget to make arrangements for the upkeep of the fish and their environment whilst on a four month overseas assignment. Another guy, a bombastic overbearing arse of a CEO who at some stage of his life, had named his penis ‘Little Romeo’, recount bawdy adventures of said Little Romeo in the third person as if his penis was an individual character in its own right. Like it were a naughty little brother, he spoke fondly of Little Romeo but gave the impression that although associated with him, he was not entirely responsible for Little Romeo’s actions. In fact at one point the guy seemed quite upset by one or two adventures that Romeo had embarked upon; apparently without his owners consent.

Is this how world leaders, politicians, errant priests etc. manage to deal with their conscience?

A Tale of Two Citiesby Charles Dickens

The storytelling bewitches me. Multiple threads, time shifts, different points of view; vignettes or cameo scenes. Strong characterisation. All of this coming together as a weave that gives the reader a jigsaw completion-type satisfaction or a sense of awe. A major historical event as a backdrop that is viewed incidentally and circumspectly, from within.     

Originally written in episodes as a serialised publication and I think this helped string the story out with a number of enigmas and 'ongoing or periodical  reveals' to keep the reader hooked. A clever way to build suspense.

The entire human condition is framed within those pages; Love, fear, loathing, courage, cowardice, hate, honour, kindness, spitefulness, dishonour, trust, treachery, loyalty, disloyalty, generosity, selfishness, arrogance, education, ignorance, understanding,  good fortune, abysmal fortune, hope, despair, revenge, retribution, forgiveness, camaraderie, poverty, wealth, dexterity, blunder, respect, disrespect, good, evil and lots more beside. 

I read 'Tale of Two Cities' as a youngster and found the prose was driving or dictating my emotions far beyond any publication I'd read previously. I was totally engaged and remember when I finished the novel; the feeling of accomplishment, the jigsaw complete and wonderful feeling from the roller-coaster ride Dickens had taken me on.  It might sound a little eccentric, but I felt more complete as a person once I'd read this book; almost as if the characters experiences were my own experiences. 

Reading this book turned me on to literature for the rest of my life.

Sensual

Discontenty

Delusion

Raygun

Merger

Huffam

"Never close your lips to those to whom you have opened your heart."

Charles Dickens