Old Possum's Book Of Practical Cats

I have just had the very great pleasure of sharing a nice cup of tea with the estimable Misters Eliot and Gorey. They make quite a convivial pair. Hard to go wrong on the topic of cats, lots of variety and good humor. Not one of their furry friends is into reading it seems, pity.

Sea Wolf

Jack London tells fantastic stories. I love the idealism and nobility in his characters. It is like reading an American Sir Walter Scott. The scenery is his own, drawn from the world he inhabited. The plot could have been one of Scott's as could the characters. I think it is the combination of old-school romantic values with new-world scenes that is entrancing. I'm not really sure what to make of Captain Larsen. Is he a fantastic character or is he a type or a character and a type so supper-imposed that they become confused and mesh into something that is neither? By many measures he would be one of the most fully developed portraits in all of literature. We know, in large part, what he has read, what he thinks, how he sees himself and what he expects from others. At the same time I find him a frustrating intangible. He slips away when I think I see him and stands as an enigma in his very clarity. How can any man function as a philosophy embodied and yet go beyond in functioning as an individual? He is so big I can't quite get him in focus.

London really is masterful at the art of getting places in his novel without feeling strained or forcing the journey on the unwilling. By the time we meet Wolf Larsen we have already been put in the right mindset to grasp at his deeper forms by the name dropping and signals in the fog in the first chapter. The references to philosophers (Nietzsche and Schopenhauer) prepare us for London's exploration of their works made flesh. The quiet observations of the other passengers by Hump quickly acquaint us with his own character as well. More interesting and impressive is the mileage London gets out of the fog. The old sailor who shares with Hump the benefit of his knowledge both makes us aware of the events we cannot see and establishes our belief in the ability of an experienced seaman to function largely by sound. Combined with the early attention to Wolf Larsen's eyes it sets the stage for his eventual blindness without making it either obvious or inevitable. At the same time we are finding out just how oblivious Hump is to the realities around him as he pursues his literary pastimes.

The choice of words is perhaps the single most unifying and deep motif laying structure. London's descriptions are carefully tuned not only to inform but to impress from the very first the opinion he wishes us to espouse. Or first glance of Wolf Larsen is packed with the subtle undercurrent that will soon sweep Hump into a world fit for a philosopher. He is 'casual', 'unpremeditated' and he may be seen to have 'sprang', 'thrust', and to 'act because they are alive and must do something'. We are immediately given the impression of savagery, almost more animal than man.

It was a strength we are wont to associate with things primitive,...A strength savage, ferocious, alive in itself, the essence of life in that it is the potency of motion, the elemental stuff itself out of which the many forms of life have been molded;...

The man is compared to the sea. He in turn states that life is 'a mess', a yeasty 'ferment', and 'piggishness'. He is later called a 'materialist' and Hump ascribes the eventual fall of Larsen and the misery of his life as the price of that philosophy.

The evolution of Hump is no less remarkable in its subtle development and dramatic necessity. Larsen attacks Hump as a man who stands 'on dead men's legs'.His first taste of real danger in the sea is not nearly as trying as becoming a working man. His eventual ability to persist and function in the face of danger is do in no small part to his first days of struggle aboard the ship. Facing the malice of the cook and the brutal hammerless of Larsen hardens him. The most admirable thing in Hump is that in learning he doesn't forget. He preserves his own ability to feel and behave in a more gentle way despite the harsh environment.

A Creativity Exercise

Objective: To write an adult alliteration list for the entire alphabet.

One point for each word in each completed letter entry and minus one for each word that does not begin with the letter.



Rules:
1.) All entries must contain
a. An occupation
b. A proper name
c. A verb


2.) Bonus points may be gained by including an adverb or adjective or common nouns.
3.) Ex words may be used in the X entry but it must include at least one X word proper and actual X words score double.
4.) An additional 2 points may be gained by including a location.




My own list follows:

Aviator Agnes adjusts ailerons aloft.

Buccaneer Boris buries bobbles by Biscay Bay.

Curator Carl congratulates collegiate colleagues.

Diaphanous Diva Dolly details dalliances.

Editor Edgar eulogizes euphemistically.

Fastidious Fisherman Fred finds flees.

Guard Garry gets Gouda.

Helen Homemaker helps homeless heroes.

Illustrator Ivan ignores impolite inquiries.

Jurist Juliet judges justly.

Keyboardist Ken kneads keys.

Loony laborer Leslie laughs.

Miss Maguire, manager, must meet meticulous misers.

Neurologist Nancy neatly notes nerves.

Operator Olive opines outrageously.

Purchaser Patrick packs provisions.

Queen Quincy quietly quaffs quervo.

Receptionist Rita records responses repeatedly.

Skilful skier Steve suddenly swerves.

Timekeeper Ted throws ticker tape.

Undertaker Uric understands UNIX.

Valiant volunteer Vicky validates votes.

Waiter Walter walks whippets.

Xenobiologist Xavier examines xylem.

Youthful yes-man Yoshi yields.

Zoologist Zack zips.