Hello. Welcome.

I'm a very determined kind of individual. Sometimes my determination is misplaced and things get very ugly. But, sometimes my determination leads to laughter, deep thoughts, and words on paper.

I write everything. I'm not very good at filtering ... so you will see it all. Maybe there will be a little inspiration for someone else along the way. I hope so. My sister also likes to guest blog and I'm sure you will appreciate her wit and wisdom.

Tuesday, September 02, 2008

The Man Who Was Thursday


I fell asleep last night reading Chesterton's book, so I thought I would better know how to articulate my thoughts on it. Not the case. So, my apologies for what seems slightly haphazard. And... I just happen to be horrible at summaries.

Let me just lay out the general idea: Syme, a pronounced poet and intellectual stumbles upon a very uncommon looking policeman in England. Upon questioning, the policeman reveals that he's no 'ordinary' cop, but actually part of the elite undercover force whose quest is to root out the spreading evil of anarchy. Syme's interest peaks when the cop in question suggests he would be perfect for the squad. So, Syme ends up in a pitch black room with a voice confirming his qualifications to fight evil, though he had no prior training.

Syme happens upon a radical anarchist, whose poetry had captivated an audience on the outskirts of town. And the strange, twisting, unpredictable journey begins. In dreamlike sequence, we follow Syme into the most unlikely of situations as he tries to uncover the destructive plans of the anarchy underground.

I've been reading different reviews, and of course the heavy annotations, but I think it will take me the whole book to understand Syme's journey. Why do the 'bad' guys keep being unveiled as 'good' guys in disguise? Are all the anarchists actually good guys undercover?

That would be a statement. I guess it's kind of like being 'of' the world to fight the evil of the world, but in the effort you are self-defeating. Like I said, I'm a bad summarizer. I'm an even worse philosopher without a good bit of processing time.

So, I'm just asking: Has anyone else read this marvel, called a nightmare by Chesterton? I know it doesn't sound like it from my review, but I've completely enjoyed it. I'm actually about 100 pages from finishing.

No plot spoilers, but leave your comments!

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