Short

My apologies for the time between the last post and now. I had computer troubles. *uggh* Note to self: Next time go to James at TCS IT first!

So to help catch up on reporting about my reading, I’ll keep it brief today with some short notes about Dickens’s short fiction. My plan was to read everything under the rubric “Other [i.e. non-Christmas] Short Fiction” in a giant Kindle collection that claims to present the complete works of Dickens. Some stories included in this section were excerpts from the novels, but, having read all the novels several times each, I skipped those stories. “A Thousand and One Humbugs” is a satirical send-up of the Parliament of the day. Not knowing enough about enough of the politicians involved, I gave it up after a few pages.

I did, though, read and thoroughly enjoy “Hunted Down,” the best story in the section. I can hardly give any details at all without unfairly spoiling the story since it’s a murder mystery. But I can say that an insurance adjuster serves as the detective, that a disguise in the plot made me think that Conan Doyle must have known and enjoyed this story, and that the point about the validity of first impressions rings true although it may have been surprising at the time.

“George Silverman’s Explanation” is told by a man raised by oppressive parents very strict in their misguided version of Christianity. Upon hearing Jesus say, “Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ ” one might begin to obey by reading this excellent and heart-breaking story.